The Ghost of Tom
At family gatherings,
a Family Friend liked gathering
the girls to make us sing rounds.
We always wanted the spooky one,
Have you seen the ghost of Tom?
Long white bones with the rest all gone ...
We’d substitute words, like long white boners
with the rest all gone,
which he pretended not to hear
because who knows, any one of us
might blow his cover at any minute,
unpredictable little liars that we were,
the girl cousins, talking preteen trash
about him, the things he likes to do,
for example gather the girl cousins
and make them sing against their wills.
His personal favorite was
Tender Shepherd, tender Shepherd,
Let me help you count your sheep.
One in the meadow, two in the garden,
Three in the nursery, fast asleep.
One Christmas there were only
three of us, so we sang
the round with one part missing.
I still listen to the fourth part —
that’s the real ghost.
Source: Poetry (June 2015)