Forgotten Ground Regained
The ship shall be nailed, the shield be bound
Cassidy McFadzean
One summer I ‧ spoke Old Englishin my professor’s house ‧ as he healed weeksafter a septuple bypass, his stitches showingout the top of his shirt.
We sat below apicture of Danceland, a prairie attraction,its rainbow banner ‧ a beacon above us.My feet never brushed ‧ the ballroom floor,its famous horsehair ‧ hidden under planks.I didn’t sing as Cædmon ‧ charmed by a psalmbut stumbled through gruff ‧ Germanic sounds.My professor took breaks ‧ propped up in a chairwhile I watched his cat, claws out, scratchat the carpet and walls,
chasing a bell.In that searing heat, stayed to our places,I sat and watched ‧ workers rake,men pull weeds, women plant sod.
Copyright © Cassidy McFadzean, 2015
First published in Hacker Packer
Answer:A poet