The night wind does no harm
the morning waxes warm
a bachelor picks a wife
a husband sticks a knife
into a lover’s heart
a wife and husband part
a mother bears a child
the summer air is mild
a fugitive returns
a soul for vengence burns
a sister chokes a sob
a sheriff does his job
a father leaves at morn
a child is left forlorn
a jury in its room
decides a mortal’s doom
the chaplain preaches hope
the hangman knots his rope
the warden winds his watch
the doctor drinks his scotch
a hole is lined with lime
the scaffold scolds “It’s time.”
