Tuesday, December 31
the last day of the year is fading fast
on this particular drafty farmhouse
and all its jumbled contents
yesterday showed me ample proof
that eastern kansas has great landscape
just stay on US-24 a little west of manhattan
past tuttle creek reservoir
catch 77 north
it'll take you to nebraska
straight up to lincoln
but first there are low hills and long valleys
rock everywhere the road breaks the surface
scattered houses and all that sweep of grass and field
something there presages mountains
makes you remember why
you said you'd live in the country some day
i always get to this time
the year's well and truly spent,
and it seems like something
ought to come together out of it all
so i could say: this was the year when...
and it would mean something more
than a memory pulled out of context and given a name
it doesn't, not really
and maybe it's ridiculous
to think that it should
this is just another day
it doesn't much care what's on a calendar
the year in review
is a game for syndicated columnists
book reviewers and the evening news
on a tv i don't watch any more
i'll leave it to them
and listen to my sister
when she says brennen, come look at this sunset.