They said he was a wily man,
with much of the snake in all he did,
wherever he went for miles around
whatever the people had, they hid.
They hid their daughters and their wives,
their gold and all their precious rings;
they tried to hide their very lives,
for he was good at finding things.
He had a labyrinthine mind
that understood the secret mark
men leave to find the things they’ve hid
as deep as shadows in the dark.
He always came when times were bad,
He always came when things were rough
and though they hid the best they had,
they never hid it good enough
or if they did, they gave it up
for fear he’d use his secret arts
to raise the monstrous secret things
deep hidden in their heart of hearts.
©WILLIAM JOHN WATKINS
William John Watkins 