My Doctor
Is Chinese—
Left China with his wife and young
Daughter while leaving a son behind
Arrived in America and worked as a janitor
Now resides on a second floor of a building across
From the town hospital with its plush parking lot
My doctor practices his calligraphy between patients
Naps on the same mattress his patients use
After a two year absence I came for a visit
I met a hooded worker brushing fallen
Snow from a walkway with precise strokes
Peering into the hood I surprised my
Doctor who nodded with a smile
Patting my chest and taking up his broom
He followed me inside
Message
Owl calling out
Of nowhere at dusk
Was as good as spoken
Tracker
I’m telling you —
While you all think
You may know me
My cat’s been
Studying me
For all I’m
Worth
From a
Window
Companion
Ah, if my axe could talk
It would be something!
It’s been everywhere with me
For over 45 years at a life in the woods
But get serious, it’s an axe, it’s
Sharp and quiet, and some
Might say
That’s what I should be
Find Me
Today we hiked in the forest where both the
geese of the lake and the train can be heard
the geese are just past the trees
the train is faraway but its whistle is close
we stop on our path when the whistle comes to us
we look at one another, say little, we have been on many trains
where we go today is where all winter was a tundra of ice
she remembers sitting down to slide many times on an incline
I remember we forgot our walking sticks so we made a pair
the forest has everything
geese, train whistles, ice, and then no ice at all
it is spring and we go to search and find
one small puddle of ice
withdrawn into the
shade of the forest
_____________________
Bob Arnold
Heaven Lake
Longhouse 2018
