The ephemeral stream beside
my house holds treasures.

It’s rocky bed lined with generations of
junk woven between rocks and roots

?Take it out back and dump it in the river?

Spring rains reveal buttons, springs,
hubcaps, handles, and shards of old dishes

?Take it out back and throw it in the woods?

washed down from the old smokehouse or
unburied from the banks where it was cast

forgotten for ages as moss covered stones
and trees grew tall around the edges.

?Take it out back and chuck it down the hillside?

One time, my kids uncovered an entire
Pyrex casserole dish intact while digging

for gold along the stream path as
part of some game.

?Keep the front yard looking good?

They gifted it to me, I bleached it
clean and still use it to make cobblers.

?Lyrics from “Take It Out Back” by Chuck Brodsky