humming smooth bass
from the Barney Miller show
brushing cobwebs
from neglected corners
of my own house

I still favor the Mary Janes
I used to wear
but not polished like childhood

chewing gum
reminding me of Tang
do astronauts look at cobwebs
remembering short days
and comet’s tails

streaks across a split sky
remind me of that first purse
reversible blue corduroy

8 track clicks so satisfying
groove in the car with shiny fins
make a wish on a dandelion
before rushing in dusty for dinner
pocket garden prizes at dusk

vellum sticks to the tongue
hold it until it dissolves
carry around the words as they become phrases and then stories
let the ridiculous seep in to your pores
coded with bits of pigment
scratch onto leaves
so brittle yet strong enough to capture

gears destined for rust and fallow fields
move smoothly in grime
for men in shirtsleeves
and women laughing in sunlight

silos line the horizon
stuffed to the brim
with pipe dreams and hops

children as shadow puppets
behind clotheslines
herald the bees and honey

thrusting pipes push earthen mounds
echoing coffins’ slumbers
men heave iron and wheat
on a forgotten country road