Poems And State Fair - Part Two

Poems and State Fair – Part Two

At Emmanuel Presbyterian

As I read part of my poem group about

STATE FAIR – I remembered

I rode on my bike, 2001,

Past the church the afternoon

Of the nine one one attack.

The fairgrounds seemed empty,

Early, I drew Incubator chicks.

At the stand they said I was

Not needed that day,   I should

Come in The next day.  I drew

From a bench

The vertical conveyer belt

Corn roaster, the walls of the stand,

The shelf where the radio

Was on, and was saying

Something about

An attack on New York.

I had delivered papers

For two and a half years.

I had never owned a car.

Those years, twice the winter

Snow became very deep.

I felt I was

A Bing and Grondahl Christmas

Plate, a white and blue night where I

Pushed along my cart.

After I got back that day

And listened to the radio in the

Apartment kitchen

It said there was a News Tribune

Special at the grocery.   On my bike

Past the spanish style church

Past the square gray Gothic

Pavement, grass, parking

A sentence I wrote before,

Taupe to sienna to a time

Of gold late afternoon.  It is very still

My bike moves along

For the special at the grocery.

Did I bring one or two

Around that afternoon to buildings?

Nothing moved.  All was silent.

In the special Gary Locke our governor

Would speak at a memorial

At the fairgrounds in the morning.

I got up and delivered the News Tribune

With the first story about the attack

I bathed and dressed

And attended the memorial

Before the shift I had

At the Fairgrounds stand,

Near some of the rides

Near the midway.  I brought

Condiments from the walk-in refrigerator

Washed lemons,   I washed potatoes

And and wrapped them in foil.

I carried more boxes of lemons

And potatoes in from the walk-in

Refrigerator and had a potato

At my break in the Duris black

Tee shirt with the large

Medallion with an elephant

On the back.

After two years delivering

Papers I had applied for food stamps.

From Job Source

I could get a job at the fair,

I got up the next morning

And delivered the paper.

It had more stories about the attack.

I took the bus to the fairgrounds

Again, and I washed lemons

And potatoes,  and I

Took the bus back and I listened

To the radio in the apartment kitchen.