DRIVING DIRECTIONS
Shakespearean Sonnet
by Suzanne Rebert
From Louisville, Kentucky, you go north
On I-71, beyond the line
That separates two counties, and go forth
To Exit 17, just past the mine --
Well, limestone quarry. (You were thinking, "coal,"
But these are hills of Devon's ocean age.)
Car dealership, day care, a power pole,
Some subdivisions, parks, a batting cage:
Pass them all by. I know a shaded place
On Darby Creek, where an old syc�more stands;
A bridge where I would stop and raise my face,
Eyes closed, and rest a while, head on laced hands....
...Wait. What's the problem here? My syc�more tree
Is razed. Tract housing now is all I see.