WHEN SHE SLEEPS

Baba Yaga sleeps outside under a rough blanket
Of remnant shadows pinned together with thorns.
Her own dreams wandered off ages ago
Except for one, of a night filled with snow.
Through that snow, the memory of a cart
Quietly pushes its way.

PAWLING

Many a ghost in Pawling thinks he is the revenant
Of former governor Thomas E. Dewey.
You'll see them crowding the streets after snowstorms
Each with a shovel and a disciplined mustache,
Digging out cars, clearing sidewalks, soliciting votes.
At high school games Pawlonians are used
To massed Thomas E. Deweys taking the field
To perform at half-time. In time, they grow weary
Shunning the light, their mustaches gone ragged.

PREPARING FOR THE REMATCH

In Pawling, New York, people accept
That the ghost of Thomas E. Dewey
Will sometimes, after a heavy snow,
Shovel their walks. His mustache
Hasn't lost a bristle. He remains sure
That the next time it is 1948
He'll beat Truman in a walk.