Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

By: Donovan Baldwin

The nurse said, "Mr. Owens,
It's time you were in bed."
The old man gave a gentle smile
And gravely bowed his head.

As she helped him from the wheelchair,
She thought she heard him say,
"Tonight I'll ride with Blackie,
And he and Bear can play."

It was sad to see the weak old thing
Lose the little sense he'd kept.
So, as she put his things away,
The young girl quietly wept.

Then she found the crumpled paper,
Almost tossed it in the trash.
Except for "Corporal Owens",
That her eyes caught in a flash.

As she read the yellowed pages
The walls moved out and back.
She saw a Mountie on a killer's trail
Out on a Yukon track.

It was the tale of Corporal Owens
Upon the page she read,
A hero of the Yukon,
Dressed in Mountie red.

She began to wonder of the sights
The dim old eyes could see...
The mountains and the meadows,
Rivers wild and free.

It saddened her that this fine man
Raved like a madman there
In his mind gone out to play
With Blackie and some bear.

"He's reverted to his childhood,
Or made up a place to play."
Then she saw the picture
As she began to turn away.

It was a tall young Mountie
On a horse as dark as dark,
And beside them sat a huskie,
As if about to bark.

On the back she saw the writing,
"Rick, his dog and horse."
Then in the dark of that quiet room,
Things went from bad to worse.

The breathing of the old man
Rasped out in the night,
And the nurse reached for the button,
In momentary fright.

She then pulled back her hand,
As the man began to smile.
She knew that he had saddled up,
To ride a last long mile.

Yes, tonight there'll be a rider
In the freezing Yukon air,
On a horse that he calls Blackie,
Beside the huskie he named Bear.

More poetry by Donovan Baldwin at http://ravensong.mysite.com/index.html.

Labels: Canada, dog, horse, Mounties, nurse, poem, poem about a Mountie, poem about a nurse, poetry, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Yukon