minnesota

old boat on white bear -
rhythm of ripples on hull
minutes into days
(1-10)





north shore gulls adrift,
lake breezes changing their minds -
and days turn shorter
(8-11)






outside two harbors,
night softens lake and wisconsin,
but for some fireworks
(8-11)





half mile from downtown -
dirt path, green woods, secret beach
minneapolis
(7-05)






bush on either side,
buck ev'ry ten, twenty miles -
hit duluth by six
(8-12)





xerxes avenue -
i learned th'alphabet, he says,
on these shady streets
(2-14)





grasshopper on rush
trying to make it to shore
before th'bass gets him
(1-10)





chisago lowland
visitors - mallards fly in
for wild rice dinner
(1-10)






superior shore's
cold august rain lets up in
split rock tunnel's glow
(9-05)





dinkytown cafe -
workers don't know what happened
to the baseball scores
(7-05)





ten thousand lakes, but
one loon's cry throttles the night
even at th'town park
(7-05)





needin' thirty bucks,
they'll walk through any open door in
minneapolis
(~12)






omelets come and go,
fall breeze catches sports section -
life at the seward
(1-10)






oak savannah, they
call it - pin oaks hold out on
minnesota plain
(1-12)





up through two harbors,
northern lights, icy forest -
days'll be longer soon
(12-13)

uptown beemer's trapped,

not by th'two feet 'f fresh snow, but

by th'punctual snowplow
(12-14)



 

outside minnetonka,

tale'f th'city scrapin' dozer

fell through a soft spot

(12-14)

some jerk broke his nose
high school hockey's serious
in eden prairie
(1-10)





lost faith th'winter ir'n
range priest took bingo funds, spent
'm all in holy land
(6-13)

march blizzard 'n th'cities,

drunken sioux, angry tirade -

on th'wrong city bus

(1-10)




west 'v th'cities, the plains
open out, green 'n' wide - clara 
city, you're a speck
(2-14)






down from winnipeg -
hit th'cities 'round two, but 'n june,
everyone's still up
(1-14)






twinkiedome drama
yankee fans, a bit crude, but
june belongs to twins
(1-10)





dinkytown lattes -
punks agree, june's too short to
suffer through classes
(1-10)


-