14

OLD SITE, NEW VIEW

It took some persistent coaxing to convince my wife
to drive out with me on a late August day
to visit my old archaeological site.
Once there, I parked across the road in the
familiar spot by the cattle gate, leaving
Ruth and the dog in the car silently watching me
as I crossed the road and crawled through the fence.
I prowled up and down the now largely overgrown
depression in the pasture where I had gleaned
so many ancient artifacts: scrapers, arrowheads!
Just as Ruth had surmised, there wasn't anything
to be found, other than willow and weeds…
silently fuming over the lack of exposed sand
in what had once been a large blow-out
I kept looking, hoping for something, anything…
then, when I glumly turned around to look back
at the car, found, to my delight, Ruth standing
out on the road, slim still figure as memorable
as a photo in our album, self-contained,
framed by copious roadside stands of gleaming
auburn grasses, luscious big bluestem, blue asters,
red rose-hips bright as lit candles, my dear wife
embraced by the familiar warm colors of autumn.



October 2004
By: Robert William Nero