Dancing Shadow

Rolling laughter;
Thundering guns.
The morning after
Witty puns
Is where it all began.
 
Sweet temptation
To drift away
To isolation
And there to say,
Before it all began.
 
Callous nudges,
Spitting names.
Petty grudges
And cheated games
After it all began.
 
Sleepless nights,
Sodden pillows,
Playground fights,
Thoughts of willows
After it all began.
 
A bleeding nose,
Honey suckle,
To the nurse he goes
With broken knuckle
After it all began.
 
Rolling laughter;
Thundering guns.
Lonely rafters,
His stomach churns.
Before he makes it end.
 
The fit is fine,
Free and loose.
The rope, benign
Offers her use,
Before he makes it end.
 
The shadow dances
Behind the chair,
And the gunman glances
Him swinging there.