Cooper’s Mill,
Mississippi June 3, 1964
I do not think that Johnny knew,
or may he ever know.
That he is still the only one
to whom love I can show.
If I had cared enough for him,
he never would have died.
And if he knew how much I cared,
to live he might have tried...
He lost the will to live they said,
and I had not told him.
On that sad night ten days ago,
when we went for a swim...
At Cooper’s Mill, with all the kids,
the death drop Johnny dived.
To show me he was brave enough,
to win my love he died.
‘cause just an hour before that,
I said “I don’t think so.”
When Johnny asked me to the prom,
I wanted so to go.
But hard to get I had to be,
and I just let him try.
‘cause kids don’t think about these things...
but I let Johnny die.
In black I’m walking down the road,
a mile from Cooper’s Mill.
The headlights of a truck I see,
it's racing towards the hill.
The truck will reach the crest I know,
and not have time to see.
The two kids standing in its path…
one’s Johnny and one’s me.
Submission Name: Cooper's Mill
Like I most likely said in the comment I left on the contest page, this is beautiful. The last stanza holds a metaphor that still provokes thought in me. Does the truck represent suicide? Or death? It could have been dismissed as literal were it not for one of the kid's being Johnny who was supposedly already dead. To be honest, I don't think the hospital fits in with the piece. It was the 1960s and right they had hospitals, but they wouldn't take a drowned boy. The piece is better without the mention of parents and hospitals. But then again, that's only my opinion.