The Vacant Lot
Water and Sand
On Cleveland Road
Walker Road Fawn
Fox Subway
The Cricket Tide
Tibet Repair Kit
Lummi Transit
Giant Eagle
The Tar Baby
Imaginary Letter…
Cleveland Sand Castle
A Factory Cloud
The Vacant Lot
For as long as I’ve known it
filled with unmown grass and wild flowers
by now I guess you could call it a park
Water and Sand
Back when this land was all green running
to the lake, they stayed in old railroad cars
overnight. The scout master told them to be
on the lookout for bootleggers and they were,
following their flashlights to the sound of the shore.
Just like in the movies and comic strips
they saw a blink on the dark water
echoed by one on the land
and they watched as the boat came in.
A truck was waiting and men opened the flaps.
The boy scouts ran back through the trees
with their flashlights off and the branches
scratching their knees. They got to a phone,
they called the police, and it was just like
a show on the radio. But the police took their time
and when they got to the lake, there was nothing
only water and sand.
On Cleveland Road
Houses grow
around
the rusted barn
Walker Road Fawn
Hidden behind a tree
our son could see
the white spots
Fox Subway
I hoped for a chance to see the fox.
Sometimes he appears running along
the narrow treed edge between
their yard and next door.
The neighborhood is linked
by a chain of thin green paths
a fox will follow. They must learn
these routes like subways…
go right at the beechnut,
quick past the pool…
Even now, at 2 A.M,
I might happen to hear
a rush of wind and see
the low orange blur go by.
The Cricket Tide
At night
it returns
and we swim
in the sound
movement
made heavy
we get sleepy
and drown
Tibet Repair Kit
I’m sure there must be a way
to change bad dreams when they happen,
if someone gets hurt or something monstrous
occurs. Stopping the plot, redirecting the way
the movie goes…It probably takes a lifetime
to master, resulting in the discovery that
the same methods can also be applied
in the waking world and life really is
only another dream.
Lummi Transit
It’s a long way from the morning bike ride
to work. Usually I’ll be looking at gardens,
watching for glass in the road, knowing
I need air in the back tire and sometimes,
it can’t be predicted, the white van from
the Lummi tribe will appear.
Now I’m one week later, thinking of
that bus in this place, with a lot of land
in between.
Giant Eagle
Outside Giant Eagle
the parking lot is falling rain.
We stop next to a canoe.
It’s one of those Ohio
flash downpours.
By the time we get
the car doors open,
the rain is done.
We step on lily pads
floating above the tar,
the perch and carp
and silver grocery carts
below.
The Tar Baby
It’s so hot in Ohio today
the tar on the street
melted into a man.
Just looking at him
I feel the same way.
All I want to do is
lay down.
Turned soft
by the heat
not awake
not asleep
unable to move
an arm held out
for a helping hand.
Imaginary Letter to
The Sandusky Register
It’s been a couple years since
I’ve returned for a summer visit
and I must voice my alarm.
Two of my favorite Ohio attractions
appear to be virtually gone.
Where’s the sound of all the birds
that used to wake me in the morning
and where are the fireflies at night?
I think it may be a result of something
you’re probably aware of already,
the chemical poisoning of lawns
and farmlands. Of course we know
the impact this has on ecology,
the food chain, our health.
Nobody really wants to talk
about it, but I have noticed it,
thanks for listening and I wish you
Good Morning, Ohio and Good Night.
Cleveland Sand Castle
Towers and bridges
roads running through
down to the smallest details
abandoned buildings
filled with sand
everything built that way
A Factory Cloud
The heron left tracks
stamped into the sand
with iron precision
Where they stop
look up for
a factory cloud
signals photos and writing:allen frost, August 2011
hopefully this will be a paper book soon
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