The Legend of Glowman
written by: Joseph Mannino
There once was a hero
Or so the stories go
That stood watch every night
In freshly gathered snow
Deep in my memories
I can picture the place
With the crab apple trees
Cloaked in winter’s embrace
Out there on the front yard
‘Neath blue incandescence
Stood the mighty Glowman
In bright luminescence
I quite clearly recall
Many battles he fought
Vanquishing every foe
In the constant onslaught
With his frayed quarterstaff
And his black leather hat
He perfected all forms
Of hand to hand combat
Many years he stood guard
Each holiday season
‘Til one day he was gone
Without a good reason
Few theories arose
Of what might have become
Of the mighty Glowman
What fate did he succumb?
Had he simply been beat
Dragged silently away
Unable to fight back
In a meaningful way
Or perhaps something else
Befell Glowman one night
Something far more benign
Under midwinter’s light
What if like all legends
Born from the haze of youth
Time clouds our memories
Thus obscuring the truth
Lights we shine on our past
Pass through the prism of time
Now scattered and diffused
They melt into sublime
The truth now clearly lit
The fate of Glowman known
His story had to end
When I was fully grown
The fantasy expired
Fresh memory began
Turns out he was always
Just some plastic snowman
His quarterstaff a broom
His hat, molded plastic
Combat skills now suspect
Legend quite fantastic
Yet I fondly look back
On this remembered dream
Where imagination
And stories reign supreme
In the end it turns out
The legends we conceive
Are better than the truth
Despite what we believe
- Wonder(ful) - May 19, 2022
- Spotlight On Writers – J.S. Mannino - April 16, 2022
- Rest Stop of Babel - January 31, 2022
