December 2021

fall colors in the distance
golden hour on the sundial
polished chrome in the foreground
an orchestral evocation of feeling

flatbed, gooseneck
at rest in the side yard
I peek through the fence
looking for the right angle
wanting to get closer
admiring the view
honing my perspective
until the frame serves
the composition
and I see something
I couldn’t before

as the sun goes down
lengthening shadows converge
pointing to sunrise

waiting on the corner as the sun goes down
I wonder what connections already exist
which will lead to this building’s renovation

in a small town like this, there are folks
who know everybody and their great aunt
when the work begins, people like this
will be able to identify the links
in the chain of connection
between the parties involved
even if those parties are meeting
for the first time through this process

there are always things happening
beneath the surface of the visible
no less vital for being unseen

bright light for a cool fall day
clear air for a sky filled with clouds
before long I will be bundled up
as I stroll these winter streets
with their bare branches
and holiday displays

this scene features a matching set
only, one is real and the other an illusion
one is reflection and the other a mirage
the angle of the light is a clue
never mind the vintage

one person had not been afraid
Charlie pulled up in his silver Charger
in the light of that late afternoon
prepared to make contact

he made contact alright –
he was welcomed aboard
and soon found out all about
what lay behind those dark windows
and that cheerful orange exterior

when two worlds meet
they can be hard to reconcile
Charlie never did feel quite so at home
in his old home town after that day

even if he had found a way
to explain all that he saw
he knew it strained credulity
and no one could both believe it
and be sane – let alone stay that way

and so Charlie spent his days
waxing that earthbound Dodge
trying not to make sense of two worlds
for the sake of living in just one

he never let himself believe
it had only been a dream
he could tell what was real
besides, if one world is a dream
what does that say about the other?

they tried to hush it up
but the thing had already been seen
there was little to be done
besides wonder
and keep a safe distance
try and keep the dogs from barking
and the children safe at home
was it here to stay?
there was one thing certain
no craft clad in such cheerful color
was soon to be forgotten in this small town
at least not until morning
when people came to their senses
and rubbed their sleepy eyes
was it only a dream?

it looks as though a seed from the mountain
has sprouted in a crack on the hard urban ground
before long downtown may be overrun
and the style of this city may be out of date
replaced by a fashion that is truly wild