Rows
- Rows
I used to stroll the smelly rowsof Farmer Mason's field:In spring to see how fast seed grows;in summer for the yield;
in autumn for the turning in,the latest not too late,that next spring all might rebegin;then winter, for the wait.
But now the grocer takes what's sent;exotic food enchants.We dine on the developmentof once unheard-of plants.
And I can wheel through aisles and aislesof plastic, cellophane,and cardboard things for miles and mileswhere it will never rain.
Tonight I drive through files of homes,the browns and greens now gray:Mason's Condominiumssold out the second day. [End Page 75]
James B. Nicola has had over ninety poems appear in a score of publications including The Lyric, Nimrod, Upstart Crow, Mobius, and Cider Press Review, and received the Dana Literary Award for poetry. A stage director by profession, his book Playing the Audience won a Choice Award as one of the best books of the year. Also a composer, lyricist, and playwright, his musical Chimes: A Christmas Vaudeville premiered in Fairbanks, Alaska, with Santa Claus in attendance on opening night.
