Stopwatch

I’ve changed.

Jasmine has taken over 

The garden wall.

The wrought iron fence 

Stands against me--

A house facing East

On the cemetery street

Yellow with time

And mold, and rainwater.

Orange trees 

Are not extinct 

Nor do they grow solitary 

In the summer. 

But they’ve come up 

From the ground 

As the river floods 

Pastures full of hog holes.

The attic peels 

Its paint away

And chases after me 

With faces--

But I’ve changed

For good. 

I no longer live 

In that house.

I no longer get 

To go back and most of all

I never have to.

Reviews

[Anita Frader]

A poignant reflection of the past bridged to the present. Words I understand and relate to myself.