by Wyn Cooper

by Wyn Cooper
     What was it you wanted he calls out the door
     as I walk toward his house， which tilts uphill.
     I just wanted to ask， I start to say — but he
     cuts me off， tells me he doesn‘t talk to strangers，
     says that I should go away. I tell him I like
     his old car， I name the year and model，
     and soon he is shaking my hand，
     inviting me in for home-brewed beer.
     After my second and his who-knows-
     how-many-pints， he tells me he‘s ready
     for the government when they come.
     He takes me down to the cellar， filled
     With enough food for years， calendars
     for the coming one， enough water for
     about a month. He shows me the vegetables
     he‘s growing under lights， but I can’t see them.
     I swirl out the door like the windmills
     we watched from his den， ten spinning，
     one broken. I stand in his driveway
     and feel them， their slow whipping roar.
     The town‘s elevation is unmatched，
     except by a few of its people， higher
     than kites from the slogans they write
     on the outside of their dwellings，
     which no wind has managed to blow down