Paul Smith
Moat
It’s deeper than you think
so watch your step
it’s not just your feet
that will get soaked
you’ll be all wet
I hand dug it
even kept the dirt on my side
so you would have nothing
bad to say
but go ahead and
say it anyway
like the clay that lines my moat
I am impervious
to the words
that got between us
here it smells like wheat
your side smells like oats
so keep your horses from it
and your deer and antelope
your fruited plain is
no longer ours
keep your critters grazing
over there
your oxen, goats and buffalo
all your livestock
are free to roam
except right here
where I call home