our area of wisconsin has lovely
lively names afton avalon tiffany
carvers rock beckmans mill darien
delavan elkhorn hog hollow I went
with my grandfather to a township
meeting of some sort in emerald grove
the little white church where they all
met was spare in decoration but had
many tall clear windows it was as full
of sunset light as san chapelle a site
I would someday visit I was enchanted
yet emerald grove on its single strand
had a gawdawful antique store with
stuff spilling out and filling the lots
on either side with rusting-car-type
junk a place to gasp at it is still there
the carbuncle of the tiara yet recently
at its battered counter inside I bought
a milk bottle from our defunct dairy
it had my name on it a true amber gem
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2014.
