Tag Archives: Illinois

Just Middle-age and Gratefulness

2015-07-20 Sunset

Every evening after dinner
I walk the tree-lined side street
That leads from my house

I don’t begin the walk at a specific time
Tonight first,
I washed the dishes

Then I started out
With nothing in mind
Just middle-age and gratefulness
And what to do next

Trees and worries and birds and plans
Until the houses ended
And the ball-field began

And like the other evenings
The sky grew big
No houses or trees to block it

The giant sky
One great, low cloud
And below…the sharp, round sun
Burning orange
Then setting behind distant trees

The persons driving cars
East on Ninth
–They missed it

Instead they looked at me
The guy standing at the end of West Broadway
Facing the sun and smiling

In khaki pants and a white undershirt
Like he hadn’t bothered to change
From work

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From the Seems-like-it’s-safe Side

Donuts

The gray of the morn
Made me want it even more
Wakin’ from unconscious
Of last night’s excesses

My ol’ lady too
Said, Baby…You
Gotta go get some
So I did

I done crossed the line
Into the neighborhood
So many’ve left
Behind

I drove low
Past the falling pants guys
Waitin’ in the rain
For the currency exchange

Drove low past the cruiser
Dirty white Interceptor
Black hubs and cow-catcher
Where there’s never been no cows

Drove low past the Church
The Church of Joy
Its parking-lot puddles
Of tears, not rain

Drove low past the barred windows
Of the convenience, meat, and grocery
Its billboard bold boasting
CIGARETTES, CITRON, LOTTO, and LINK

I Drove low
And then stopped
Hurried into the lab
Were they make it

Nodded to the girl
Showed my clump of bills
Her tattoo of Magdalene
Appearing to us both

I hurried back out
And drove low again
‘Round a burned-out mattress
Discarded onto the double yellow

Then made it back over
To the seems-like-it’s-safe side
Back in my living-room and kitchen
Tossed the bag to my wife

Warm honey-glazed donuts
To go with the scrambles and bacon
While the landscaper’s mower
Hummed loud in the backyard

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Filed under Poetry