I listened to the iron rooster
spinning in the wind wondering
who would climb the roof
and take him in, or would he roost
with strangers in the house
It was so cold
the chicken water froze over
The women made coffee
and the men went out to the shed
to look over the tools
No one would sit in her black chair
because it was a bear
that might wake up anytime
She died in the middle of the night
The doctor said her heart blew out
like a jar of preserves
Before dawn I laid my head
on the hard couch by the cast iron
stove and heard her coming down
the stairs with her cane and her teeth
in a glass on the way to the outhouse
saying Who took my flashlight?
Feb 10, 2017
Feb 10, 2017 at 8:53 PM UTC
I listened to the iron rooster
spinning in the wind wondering
who would climb the roof
and take him in, or would he roost
with strangers in the house
It was so cold
the chicken water froze over
The women made coffee
and the men went out to the shed
to look over the tools
No one would sit in her black chair
because it was a bear
that might wake up anytime
She died in the middle of the night
The doctor said her heart blew out
like a jar of preserves
Before dawn I laid my head
on the hard couch by the cast iron
stove and heard her coming down
the stairs with her cane and her teeth
in a glass on the way to the outhouse
saying Who took my flashlight?
