a little vagrant sleeps under a church ladder
shares his bedding with a lame puppy and deaf adder
he has never tasted sweets or sugar scones
his usual dinner is leavings, skin and bones
one beautiful summer day right after the mass
someone spat a throat lozenge onto the grass
it shined beneath the sun like a real gem
blameless, faceted, wet from mucous phlegm
little vagrant retrieved the lozenge with trembling hand
unbelievably happy as though he’d won a big grant
but he wasn’t the only one who had reached the prize
the puppy was looking at him with pleading eyes
some people aren’t dogmatic, have never attended church
their lives can seem useless, their family’s honour besmirch
but on that day it was the lord’s supper under church ladder
little vagrant shared his first candy with lame puppy and deaf adder
by TETIANA ALEKSINA
© All rights reserved 2018
unbolt me 
A wonderful write, Tetiana. Love the story.
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She’ll be chuffed at your kind words, Renee. Thanks so much!
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Interesting. As always 🙂 keep writing such good and thoughtful stuff.
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We certainly intend to, Doyeeta. Thank you so much! 😀
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I enjoyed your post. The phlegm and adder definitely gave it an interesting quality.
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Makes it unforgettable really, doesn’t it! 😛
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this is truly heart-capturing. thank you, marvelous you!
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read! 😀
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AAAAAAH, y’all did it again *beam*
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Hee hee! Yup, she did! 😛
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Beautifully written, so poignant and thought-provoking.
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Thanks so much for your kind words, Marta. 😀
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You are welcome.
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Love this! 🙂
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Thanks so much for reading Tati’s words, Vikki, and I’m glad you enjoyed them! 😀
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Absolutely captivating Tetiana! But a question: is a deaf adder a name or a description. Here in Florida we find several kinds of snakes – at least one of which is deadly poisonous and rabbits and squirrels and other such herbivores hiding from the flames of a Wildfire in the burrow of a gopher tortoise in our pine flatwoods. Said burrows are the homes and havens – in desperate times like fire – of numerous species, not all of whom normally are thought compatible. A vagrant, a limping puppy and a deaf adder make a wonderful lesson ‘twixt the wine and the wafer. Or, even after. The ladder imagery is fraught with implications as well: forcing I am sure another three or seven reads. Again, thanks.
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Deaf adder? Hm. I asked Tati and she said that she meant the eastern hognose snake, a harmless species found the United States. That’s all she would tell me. Hee hee! 😛
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The Eastern Hog-Nosed is a familiar snake – even for us non-witches. I was unaware they were deaf – or perhaps in this particular case. I now have to go back to revise upward the appreciation meter. Not only ‘tained but teached!
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What a sweet little story! I would want to buy that little guy the meal of his choice-and a bag of the choicest kibble for the puppy.
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And for the snake…? 😛
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A few muce.
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😛
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I really like this. The balance of goofiness and seriousness makes it unique.
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Tati thanks you! 😀
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