THE TWO-SEATER
It was our family two-seater
With large adult size holes
And last year’s big Sears catalog
Instead of tissue roles
That little house of weathered wood
With roof of rusted tin
Held terror for the little ones
For fear of falling in
With cracks and knotholes in the walls
And usual moon-shaped vent
You could say ’twas air conditioned
But it didn’t change the scent
Not a person dared tarry there
Which wasn’t a surprise
They’d hurry out to breathe fresh air
And leave it to the flies
I couldn’t stand the wafting scent
Assaulting my poor nose
So when I had to sit out there
I’d contemplate a rose
Two frosted rings in wintertime
In summer, ghastly heat
But the worst thing to be endured
Was sliver in one’s seat
8/9/89 Phyllis DeWitt-VanVleck
3’rd … Arkansas NPD 1994
3’rd … Indiana NPD 1994