Tuesday, January 8, 2019

A MAN IN A TREE


In certain great houses of Poland one of the servants
Would spend his days in a tall tree, watching the road
If he spied visitors coming, he would shout or whistle
Or bang two pots together, then climb down 
To help with preparations. Visitors were precious 
Because life was boring in the country. It might happen 
That a visitors ready to leave would find his carriage wheels
Had vanished or his coachman was drunk or married 
Or had taken a vow to walk barefoot to Jerusalem.
All this was going on while my ancestors were there too
Following their occupation of surviving. Some of them 
Were more skilled at this than others. 

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