The Finale Known as Grace
Frank
Honest to God
found himself
in New Hampshire
under a bruised sky
up a tree
watching green hills
rock thunder
and storm
like an ocean
raging
all a-havoc &
destruction
of
fences and cows
John
Deeres
cars
farmhouses
telephone
poles
the
dearly departed
with their assorted and sundries
and
farmyard
children
churning every which way
around
up and
under
in an in-ex-or-able roll
and in-cred-ible show
of brute force nature.
Frank shaking like a leaf
wondered
how the hell
he was gonna
get himself
out of this
one
and as nothing came to mind
climbed
Yup
higher up
to thin branches
new growth
spindle greenery
all precarious
reached
and
climbed
Steady now
into a window
fortune-ate-ly, for-tu-i-tous-ly, and treach-er-ously
tumbling in the maelstrom
and found
Get this
the beautiful daughter
in a white night gown
on white sheets
under a white canopy
in a white room
Stick
with me
and Frank said,
Dorothy?
Dorothy
said, Frank?
Frank said, How did you get in here?
and Dorothy
said, The prairie is an ocean, Frank
and then
Frank heard
the unmistakable
ka-chung
of a pump-action
shotgun
followed by the voice
of the household's host
his best friend's friend
pronouncing as sharply
as New Hampshire granite:
I think
you've got the wrong room, son
As a lucky spasm of
grass, dirt
flint and
rock
smacked the sun
turning all the white black
all the bedrooms into kitchens
and all the daughters to
safely
lighting lamps
and
pouring wine
for Sunday supper
and here's
the best part
The household's host
his best friend's friend
asked Frank to
Kindly say
the grace, son
And Frank obliged with all the grace he could muster:
Thank you Lord
thank you
dear people
For shelter from the rising fields
Keep us, Lord,
from the temptations of trees
and open windows
Amen.
And they all said:
Amen.
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