GENTLE MAN, THE

Jersey Air

27 Jersey Air On the side of Route 4, Two skunks struck dumb By a speeding Buick— Hellbent on reaching home Before the dinner bell rang. How is it hope springs Eternal in the human breast, But no more in skunk brains That litter the local highway This hot summer night. And of the pair, One appeared tiny and frail; The other—perhaps the mother? May well have known Their crossing was a bad idea, But went on nonetheless And tossed maternal instinct Into an abysmal wind— The smell of which lingers Long past midnight Through the thick Jersey air. ...