Else by Gale Acuff

I walk home from Sunday School but like that
corny song proclaims I'll never walk a
-lone, I guess that God walks with me, maybe
Jesus, too, and then there's the Holy Ghost and
Satan makes 'em all like four horsemen and
when that came to me in the rising sum
-mer heat I got scared that I'm really not
alone but wish I could be, no gods to
clutter up my life at ten years old and
counting--there must be something other than
my sorry soul to sweat about and I
don't mean sin, neither. Something else. We've had
no rain for months so maybe I can learn
to love that to keep me happy thirsting.

About the Poet:

Gale Acuff has had poetry published in Ascent, Reed, Poet Lore, Chiron Review, Cardiff Review, Poem, Adirondack Review, Florida Review, Slant, Nebo, Arkansas Review, South Dakota Review, Roanoke Review and many other journals in a dozen countries. He has authored three books of poetry: Buffalo Nickel, The Weight of the World, and The Story of My Lives. Gale has taught university English courses in the US, China, and Palestine.