The Boy in the Ring

The Boy in the Ring

Where is the boy?

The boy is in the ring.

And where is the ring?

The ring is in the school-yard.

And what makes up the ring?

The ring is made of other boys.

What kind is this ring?

It is a spinning ring, and  a jeering ring

a hissing ring

a rhyming ring

a kicking ring

a spitting ring

a teeth, tongue  and eyelid ring , a hair and eyes ring ,

a  snot and nostrils ring , a knee and knuckles ring ,

a fist and boot and mouth and ear and elbow ring.

Who is the god of this ring?

The god of the ring is unknown.

Jack O the Lantern maybe

or the scarecrow with the two axes

or a wailing midnight wind

or a  sack of smashed glass.

What is the boy doing in the ring?

The boy is looking

at himself in the ring.

He is sitting down

and crying

and looking at himself

in the ring.

Why did the boy go into the ring?

The boy never went into the ring.

When will the boy get out of the ring?

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This is the title poem of my 2007 collection The Boy in The Ring.