First was from my granny. <br />No, worse. From my granny's church. <br />I was nine years old. <br />The cash was on her table. <br />It was the old currency, <br />pounds, shillings and pence, <br />collection from that morning <br />stacked neatly in piles. <br />I wanted a boat ride down at the lagoon. <br />You can imagine the rest. <br />I hid my loot in my towel <br />where my mom found it. <br />'Did you pinch this from granny? ' <br />she asked with horror on her face.. <br />I knew the right answer, <br />'No, I took it from your handbag.' <br /> <br />The second was Blake's Collected Poems. <br />I was at Exclusive Books <br />with the book in my hand, <br />when the power failed. <br />The music stopped, <br />all the lights went out. <br />You can imagine the rest. <br />I was severely punished <br /> - by my conscience, of course. <br />It was years before I could read Blake.<br /><br />John Garth Raubenheimer<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-two-thefts/
