Shale Hill<\/p>\n
this shortcut lies beyond
\nthe mucky black water,
\nonce the way to the victory gardens
\nwhen legs still held energy
\ndidn’t grow too heavy to climb
\nover the flat uncertain rocks
\nwhich could tip and shift
\ninstantly,
\nto get to another path
\nwhich wanders between the
\npines where the owls roost
\ncalling out messages of gloom–
\nyouth refuses to believe in
\ncollapsed balloons,
\nwill only accept ritz crackers,
\nrocky road ice cream and
\nsoft, oven warm, crusty bread.
\na creek gurgles near the pig sty
\nwhere fatness indicates days of
\nsatiated wealth accumulated from
\nan abundance of collard greens and
\ncitrons that mimic small watermelons
\nbut are inedible except for hogs.
\nthe rhode island red rooster
\nchases the clucking, white leghorn hens,
\nand we took for granted the abundance
\nof snow-white eggs, never imagined
\nsomeday the nests would
\nlie forgotten,
\ndusty and emptied of their gifts<\/p>\n
–Joyce Metzger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shale Hill this shortcut lies beyond the mucky black water, once the way to the victory gardens when legs still held energy didn’t grow too heavy to climb over the flat uncertain rocks which could tip and shift instantly, to … Continue reading