View From The Bench

I started out not posting too many personal things, but its becoming a bit more frequent recently. Here's another piece I wrote. Hope you all enjoy.


View From the Bench

I lean against the backdrop of a
Skyless sun. Bunched beds of
Catsears wait in line to be freed

From the desiccated soil by a little
Girl in an auburn sundress and
Bows in her hair. She scrunches

The bloomed stems together
For the boy with the overalls
Rolled up to his knees standing

In algae-crusted water, skipping
Rocks. He pops their heads off
And releases the petals from

Shore like Regattas over
The River Thames. She blows
The fruit seeds from the bracts

And sits Indian-style on the knoll
Like Terpsichore as they dance
Across her shoulders to

The Lyrés trances. A dust-bowler
Fitted with a derby and hickory cane
Sits on the bench beside me, beside

His wife. They giggle and sway as
They feed the Mallards crumbed heels
Of cracked honey wheat. Little kids

Swing, trying to grasp the sun, before
Ejecting and Crashing to the shredded
Rubber mulch that fills the play box

While babysitting sisters sneak off
Behind the lavatories between
Innings with the boys playing pickup

Baseball. They tumble over beds of
Burned out Lucky’s and empty beer
Bottles , playing games of roulette

With their adolescence.
An Irish Setter and a Mastiff loudly
Howl back and forth, mimicking the

Incoherent droolings from their
Owner’s lips as they run circles around
Conversation.

I crack open a Komunyakaa and drift