Notes About The Poem

-  There are so many inordinate ways history repeats itself.  Yet, so often, we are unwilling to accept the inevitability of the past needing to retell our lessons until we get them. 

Cracker-Barrel Oracle

Cracker-Barrel Oracle
                              by Odin Roark

The whittler
Atop the rickety steps,
Shavings piled at ancient feet,
Eyes the blade
Needing attention soon.

The canine,
Head lifted from paws,
Yawns,
Eyes open
Watching chips fall…
Wondering.

Dust swirls gritty remembrance,
Tumbleweeds careen,
History’s weathered saloon sign dangles,
Jailhouse door swings aimlessly,
Both hinged with rust of reborn pasts.

Wind stops.
Gritty remembrances pause.
Silence merges
With airborne carvings
Amidst ghost-like sighs.

Eroded stick now but a sliver
Awaits to discover its purpose
As whetstone awaits the blade.

A foreshadowing gust turns time’s page, 
Beckoning next chapter’s revealing.
Prophetic air anxiously anticipates,
As carver laments
Yesterday’s memory
Today’s forever cycle.

A mutt’s whine suggests acceptance.

Few hear the silence or the quiet whimper.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2014

Poem

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