The Good Shepherd (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Florence Anthony
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Poem
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
- Subjects: Children, United States or Americans, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, 1980’s
“The Good Shepherd: Atlanta, 1981” was inspired by the case of Wayne Williams, who made headlines by committing a series of murders of black children in and around Atlanta from 1979 to 1981. The poem begins with a graphic description of the murderer pushing a child's body over an embankment. He identifies with the boy and imagines himself within the dead body: “I watch it roll/ and feel I’m rolling with it.” He speaks of “the little lamb/ I killed tonight,” and then he goes and has some hot cocoa. The murderer then describes washing out the blood that stains his bathroom....
[The entire page is 525 words long]
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