nofo

the fox we saw
on the beach in the moonlight

the stars right there
not far from shore

the way
black twisted vines
make straight lines
in the snow in rows
laid out long before

the checkerboard farms
brokendown barns
fences fields and deer

sometimes I think
that all the things
I’ve ever loved are here

the big and little leaguers
practicing fathers and sons
hard into dusk

crack the ball flies
followed by swallows
a fielder turns and runs

an osprey floats
above the creek
her family waiting near

sometimes I think
that all the things
I’ve ever loved are here

the distant drone of a tractor
drowning out a lone mockingbird’s song

the sailboat lines
ringing cold masts
like chimes in dockyards
the winter winds long

the sun-splashed sky
two kids with poles
silhouetted on a pier

sometimes I think
that all the things
I’ve ever loved are here

2003