The golden bronze death of red oaks arches over the road as we drive into tunnel upon tunnel of illumination Country hymns Carry Me Down By The River Whispering Hope in my ear open onto field upon field of cornstalks marsh grass weathered red barns stone silos A flock of starlings block out the sun Gulls assume the sky’s white space Vista after vista changes before us trees russet and burgundy sumac color of dried blood evergreens so blue they are black Snow’s slate gray sky wavers over morning A few flakes drift Green Bay waters leap fall back Limestone bluffs stand still As day darkens toward night those we have lost appear along the roadside of our minds two small boys wave parents grandparents friends from long ago We carry them forward even as they vanish into the blur of distance Carry them with us to another harvest
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