Everything (and Everyone) for the Garden

Once I hit the Saint Stephen/Calais border

I will greet the Canadian customs inspector

With

Bags of seed packets

Fully intent upon sowing

Detroit Dark Red Beets

Sweet California Wonder Orange Peppers

Early Prolific Straightneck Summer Squash

And those odd-named

Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes

On Canadian soil

And if the guy is not a machine

He will tell me what he's got growing

And how he plants his

Ruby Red Rhubarb Heirloom Swiss Chard

And we might even shake hands and exchange mailing Addresses

And trade some rare sweet corn packets from the 1950's

I silently acknowledge that at this hour

On a patch skirting Daytona Beach

Down where South Beach Street

Meets Bellevue Avenue

Bob is rushing Otis out of Ed Walden‘s Bar With the rooster on the two bit pool table

This is where those not sown on fine soil Aspire to ride bikes out of town As far as they can go