WOODS SETTING



they were too young but not too married
in a north woods that had to do with
other people so they drove
                wrangling
over right over wrong more open
to the inflood of many miles than
what the imminent dark pine making
their highway an aisle might have told them
                               leasing
a thicketed island to keep a
half-blind mare on would aim them into
the domain of other people who had
all to do with coming winters and
the bank so they ricocheted
                away
without each other or even a
car but not only the meaning or
none of a marriage remained in
the hard and simple north woods
                                again
old raven noted the lack of aim
in young and the why and pine did not
move but were dark at the highway’s edge


Rodney Nelson