REMNANTS OF A 100 DEGREE DAY

by Don Kingfisher CampbellImage source: Brain PickingsI. Walking to the marketMoist wipe on the sidewalkand a matchbook that says Thank YouIn the mortuary planteran empty Menthol MarlboroAnd a Funeral car window sticker foldedon a parking space looks like FunNo surprise, a discarded used cigaretteand a Popsicle stick in the other planterFarther, on the driveway, a straw wrapperand a pack of Camel Menthol in a flowering bushAt the corner gutter a plastic twistedshopping bag waits for any flow of waterAcross the street a trail of toilet paperforms an S in a rectangular planterOn the church steps an opened veggie bagis imprinted Stay Open To The PossibilitiesBus stop planter sports a half-used Arby'sTangy BBQ Sauce tublet and what I believeis a mangled Kit Kat wrapper next to atorn four tablet package of Pepto ChewablesThere is also a balled up sandwich wrapperprinted with the word Comment insideII. At the marketParked next to a car an almost clear McCafe cupand next to another one a barely sippedEl Pollo Loco drink might be lemonadeG Series Gatorade Prime 01 packet squeezedout and discarded on a parking lot medianOn the asphalt between the lines of a space,hard plastic container used to holdHome Grown Sweet Flat PeachesA concrete space bumper has the ripped offlabel of a pack of Value Soft White Facial TissueA classic crushed in two red plastic drinking cupreflects late afternoon Alhambra sunAnd what's this? A soiled menu for a Chineserestaurant and another crushed cup (this onewas a Golden Mini Oreo Bite Size Go-Pack!)III. On the walk backA banana peel in a parking spacelooking like one of Prince's guitarsA Popsicle stick partially stained orangeand stuck in its plain white wrapperAn upside down In-N-Out smashed cardboard traywith equally flattened red palm tree emblazoned cupI think I found the clear plastic lidthat belonged to that sodaYellow soda cap, another Arby's wrapper,another moist wipe, another emptied clear cupFinally!  A single dandelion on the mortuary lawnready for a confused child in need of funAnd not far away two tossed Super Heavy DutyEveready batteries in the grass below the viewing roomIV. Back homeOne apartment's got 14 cigarette buttsresting on the window air conditionerAnother has three recently finishedplastic bottles: two water, one Coke ZeroAnd the pool below our apartment supportstwo broken parts of a blue Styrofoam noodlefloating near an un-tethered life saver  Don Kingfisher Campbell has recently been published in Statement, Poetry Super Highway, Writers At Work, The Bicycle Review, Crack The Spine, Lummox, Poetic Diversity, The Sun Runner, and Poetry Breakfast.  He is currently working on an MFA in Poetry at Antioch University in Los Angeles.
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REMNANTS OF A 100 DEGREE DAY Images

The New Verse News: REMNANTS OF A 100 DEGREE DAY
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September 7th, 2012 at 3:01 am by Bill Steffen under Bill's Blog ...
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Paul Douglas Weather Column: Sticky and Unsettled Weekend Ahead!
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The remnants of the temple of Apollo (6th century BC)
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