“Detroit as Barn”
in Detroit as Barn
Crystal Williams
[concluding stanzas]
Still, folks click their teeth & wonder on which day,
at what time, the pitiful barn will give. The farmer too
scratches his mighty, balding head.But he’s forgotten the good wood he used,
the hard nails, the family, the friends & their strong backs,
that long ago barn raising, the cider & fine punch.
The last three lines masquerade as a simple enumeration. Community rises up out of the simple materials and the actions of friends and family. And we raise a glass, toast the poem and the poet. That punch sure is fine.
And so for day 2671
06.04.2014