(In memory of Franklyn “Jackie Fyah” Hixon, dec. 16Mar2014)
Shirley Spycalla
I stood and stared at the tower of stones
From the roadside across the way
He’d tried to get me to climb with him
But I’d denied him the pleasure that day.
Counting floors, six in all
I caught a fleeting glimpse of the man
Up on the sixth floor way up high
His merry laugh said “Yes I can!”
He’d knowingly broken the housing codes
By building a tower so high
With river stones in a balancing act
Yet the seventh floor he would try
House before collapse
I constantly warned, “Fyah, please don’t,
Your Stone House is not secure”
But no island law could stop the man
He wanted just one story more
“Why, Fyah, why seven?” I asked
Calling to him from afar
“Because I’m building my stairway” he said
“My stairway to the stars.”
That Sunday in March I’ll never forget
T’was the day the earth stood still
The Stone Tower had fallen down
The builder inside for to kill
A single tear fell from his eyes
As he took his final breath
His body broken, ribs crushed
His eyes glazed over in death
I hung my head in anguish deep
As I slunk back to my car
Fyah, you can stop building now
You’ve already reached your star!
Shirley Spycalla
5th April 2014
