Morning Ride

Last Monday morning

On a rusting 10-speed

I rode along the cold St. Lawrence

Under an iron bridge built first for locomotives.

That drips now with drivers in 

Corollas and Fords moving along like

Dead corpuscles

Towards men with cufflinks

Who like to say “Seek creative solutions....

...lest problems become self-fulfilling prophecies”.

 

The grey Vietnamese man

With a bucket and rod, hoping to bring home a

Fifteen-pound carp 

To his daughter

Who adds cornstarch and rolls fish balls that

She places in a tray.

The passengers in the white liner watch him 

As they embark on the

Must-see spectacle of the changing leaves.

No, not over there

In the clump of sumac

Where the discarded men sleep

In shelters fashioned from ripped plastic.

 

After the apocalypse

I’ll share my bread with them

Made from cattail flour

Baked on their campfires.

Reviews

[wordaddict]

I don't know exactly what to make of it.But I strongly respect this piece
One of your best I believe,absolutely love the line
WHO LIKE TO SAY,SEEK CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
LEST PROBLEMS BECOME SELF FULLFILLING PROPHECIES
That line reminds me of how writers sometime depend on the written word to heal their pain.Thank God most times it does work
Excellent work S FRANK

[Kenneth The Poet]

Somewhat disturbing, which is a departure for you. At the same time, it's filled with a hope that there will be life after the apocalypse, that you have respect for the downtrodden of life than the one's who flaunt their status. I can see why my fellow reviewers love the depth of your work. I am a fan as well.

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

a sideways tale has never brought so much welling before this bliss of descriptive language mingling the painting with the concrete world until the lines blur beautifully and the colors bleed through in ultra shades and hues~ this one is a treasure~

[kmartell]

This I liked, as i am sitting in my gas station diner eating a cold burrito. context is everything.

[Audrey Howitt]

Just a fabulous write in every way Frank! It is so sad in its way, but like all of your work, there is a truth here--- that most of us don't like to look at---

[africa]

Brilliant and amazingly creative. I'm awestruck by your talent.

[Robin]

some eyes , well ... they just see everything

[InkSlinger]

Painful as it may be.. you might have just penned our future..
Flawless write..

[Penlady]

..I can picture us all breaking bread, not one more ahead than the other.."sit here brother," he says as he pats the seat on the ground around the communion, "Sit here!"

[Branch Isole]

Prophesy for us all in this world of currency greed, decribed in this piece.