there was a boy

there was the boy
who sat in
back of the class
who never said
a word. he
was different.
quiet and shy,
but he was tall
and strong so he
was never teased
outright. but behind
his back they called
him boo, as in
boo radley.
he wore strange clothes,
a plaid shirt,
and a  hunter's cap,
red with the peak
turned up. sometimes
he kept his pants
high above his waist
with suspenders.
he smelled
like a wet dog,
and smoke from a fire.
his laced high boots
were always wet
caked in mud. they said
he lived in a cabin
with his father,
at the top of the hill
where the road
turns, where no one
ever traveled.
he disappeared one
day without a trace.
with no explanation,
he was never back
in school again.
his desk
stayed empty for
the rest of the year.
he was soon forgotten,
but not by me.
i liked him.