i. Austinville 1950
Belly blackened
from tire swings,
summer was
osh kosh easy.
In steaming kitchens
women wiped brows
over jelly cauldrons.
Ginny hung clothes
and listened to
white children prattle.
Grandpa bought
bushel baskets
of peaches.
And I spent time
hiding out from
the cistern,
the storm cellar
and the dark
stairwell.
ii. Arizona 1961
In Arizona
summer nights
are like toast.
On parents’ patios
we learned about
love.
I was standing
at the clothesline
when they told me
Mama was dying.
iii. Contempo West 1964
Emma Lou
got knocked up
I dropped
philosophy
lived on
cantaloupe
and watermelon.
Across New Mexico,
fat Indians
chased us.
iv. Carmel 1966
Bryn ran away,
hiding out in Big Sur
with older men.
I hung out with
her brother
in her bedroom
listening to
electronic music
and Leadbelly.