Idaho City, Idaho

At the corner of Main and Commercial
a lanky mongrel jogs, stiff-legged
past the leaning culvert.

At the corner of School and Main
the charred remains of a second-hand store,
plastered with license plates,
waits for time to heal the burns.

At the corner of Montgomery and Commercial
inside a "censibly-priced" gift shop
lies a 1964 issue of LIFE, with a
lack and white picture of Robert Mcnamara,
hatless, scaling the Matterhorn in a snowstorm.

In another shop at the corner of Myers and Montgomery
on a table inside the front door
lies a heart-shaped jewelry box,
coated with seashells, but for the rim, which is
ringed with the vertebrae of dead fish.

At the corner of Montgomery and Walula
a Harley rumbles by, the long black braid of the
passenger grazing the revolving rear wheel.

At the corner of Walula and Duck Walk
blistering sun rays drill into skin
caressed by a cool breeze.

At the corner of Bear Run and Main
a black cat silhouettes its way
across the sunlit street
to the safety of city hall

Cars creep past, not even fast enough
to raise a little dust, that
last remnants of pioneers
and teradactys;
two small boys stroll down
the wooden sidewalk.
an old man, feet dragging
heads for his noon siesta;
and, with blinding speed,
light ricochets from light
At the corner of Main and Wall.

Leonard Nolt
Sept 27, 1997