In Michigan

 "Up in Michigan" is a short story by American writer Ernest Hemingway, written in 1921 and revised in 1938.

A quiet moment

at last

since getting off the train

it has been non-stop

packing, scheduling,

meet-ups, goodbyes—

 

Right now sitting

outside, listening to

birds calling, tweets

There is a bird, I recognize

its sound, like the

squeak of a rusty swingset

when the glider goes

back & forth, that reminds

me of Lake Erie, of

vacations there. Indeed

I am reminded that there is a

lake nearby, not even a quarter mile

away, Lake Lansing.

 

The street is lined with flags about

20 yards apart—the route for the

Homecoming parade for this evening.

In the distance the high school

band practices, the big bass drum resounding

across fields & backyards. As much as

I’ve been away from Middle America,

there is far-flung memory of

fall nights, bonfires,

wood smoke, burning leaves

in the air, lingering

brought to my attention

with every flap of the flag,

with every drum beat,

with every call of the birds.

 

This moment, this now

is “Pure Michigan,”

a truck just passed;

the driver waved . . .