East of Lorraine

[the mingo]

dead for 23 yrs

your dream a pile
of rotting wood
with the ferns closing in
and the forest close

I came back today
to see it
remembering how I cleared this place
off for you with my two hands
how the spine trees would turn away
my machete, my hatchet,
even the damn ax
I kept hacking away because
it was for you
I wanted to be of some use
but more TO SHOW YOU - YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH

you didn't leave it to me
but to someone else
someone who doesn't care
doesn't have time

doesn't love
SOMEONE NOT YOUR SON
SOMEONE WHO WILL SELL IT SOMEDAY

passed your own flesh & blood over
on this small piece of ground

before I left
I pulled up
a small tree growing there
hoping I had

most of its root
and none of
the maddening answers

[saw]

insensitive betrayal
most painful as well as perplexing
my father had 4 unused tickets to the 1966
World Series for game 5...but the Orioles swept the Dodgers in 4
he knew i was a huge Oriole fan
yet gave away those tickets to a stranger one day
he is an odd duck that man
still alive at 93....and most days I'm taking care of his needs
that still bugs me tho

[the mingo]

Thx, saw