A Ballad

My friends and I we climbed the hills
A sunrise for to see,
We spread our blankets on the ground
And drank our morning tea.

A chant we hummed all while the sun
Did fill our bones with light,
Then someone found on looking round
That Jeanne was out of sight.

By this I mean she was quite lost
And nowhere to be found.
We searched among the thick of bush
And hallows of the ground.

In piles of leaves by gnarled trees,
Through weeds still wet from frost,
We wandered till not one of us
Remembered she was lost.

Then in a while we heard a smile
Of voice sweet as a hymn
Above our heads in deep of trees
‘Twas Jeanne sprawled on a limb.

As day wore on our clothes wore off.
‘Twas warm upon the ground,
So deep in Earth of colors bright
And dancing all around

Then in the sky a sound we heard
Of helicopter roar.
Two the police all checking out
Our bods and nothing more.

We smiled and waved and they remained

A while then went away.
They did not send the squad car to
Take us to jail that day.

I feel in love that afternoon
With Peter on the hill,
With Aubrey, Lois, Trudy, Jeanne
You know I love them still

8 November 1976 English 224