Last Night Frank Came to Dinner
Last night Frank came to dinner.
The house had been dark too long.
Chimney smoke the only sign he was there,
stirring at least to rise and put a log on.
We told him to come, that we’d made a pie.
I shouldn’t have been surprised
to hear the truck pull up.
But I was.
What with Frank so close
we can hear his kettle and his screen door.
Until minutes passed
between cut motor and crunch of gravel.
And we clapped and clapped for the six-pack
while Frank smiled into his shoulder.
And I realized how long the road can be
to the house next door.
Laura Schulkind has two chapbooks with Finishing Line Press, The Long Arc of Grief (2019) and Lost in Tall Grass (2014), as well as numerous journal publications. Her sonnet, “Palo Colorado Fire, Big Sur 2022,” recently won the 2023 Maria W. Faust Top Four prize. Laura also serves on the Board of the Henry Miller Library, where she created and co-curated the virtual poetry series, “Lines Online” during the early days of the pandemic. By design, the series presented a monthly gathering of poets from widely different backgrounds, experiences and identities—thus, providing space to enjoy the beauty that can emerge from an inclusive and curious world. Laura also edited the anthology drawn from the series. Her published work can be found on her website: www.lauraschulkind.com
Last night Frank came to dinner.
The house had been dark too long.
Chimney smoke the only sign he was there,
stirring at least to rise and put a log on.
We told him to come, that we’d made a pie.
I shouldn’t have been surprised
to hear the truck pull up.
But I was.
What with Frank so close
we can hear his kettle and his screen door.
Until minutes passed
between cut motor and crunch of gravel.
And we clapped and clapped for the six-pack
while Frank smiled into his shoulder.
And I realized how long the road can be
to the house next door.
Laura Schulkind has two chapbooks with Finishing Line Press, The Long Arc of Grief (2019) and Lost in Tall Grass (2014), as well as numerous journal publications. Her sonnet, “Palo Colorado Fire, Big Sur 2022,” recently won the 2023 Maria W. Faust Top Four prize. Laura also serves on the Board of the Henry Miller Library, where she created and co-curated the virtual poetry series, “Lines Online” during the early days of the pandemic. By design, the series presented a monthly gathering of poets from widely different backgrounds, experiences and identities—thus, providing space to enjoy the beauty that can emerge from an inclusive and curious world. Laura also edited the anthology drawn from the series. Her published work can be found on her website: www.lauraschulkind.com
