Torch

Torch

Planting plum trees-
Pops was squatting patting the dirt,
from a long row of small plum trees.

Slowly carefully patting the dirt around them,
like he used to do when he was alive.

Another guy was standing nearby him,
wearing lots of colors and shapes, blues, reds,
in lots of shades.

The light was bright and cool.
To the right were trees with what looked like
small red apples...two or three of these trees.

Another couple of trees behind the long row
of small plum trees,
with fruit like I've never seen before ---

I wanted to ask the multicolored man what they were,
it was a yellow, almost melon-like fruit,
with bumps or something -what's the word-
as I watched Pops, squinting and brown,
intense and happy, patting the soil.

My brother, young and shaven headed,
was completely involved with the two turtles he'd found,
a huge mama turtle and a small baby turtle.
The mother, open mouthed, seemed to be smiling.

For some reason my mama had grey hair,
for some reason my brother was a shaven kid again.
Innocent, speechless (as usual) and exploring.
For some reason Pops was alive, patting the soil.

-Will Dockery (7-12-96)