CC Bloom Poet Free verse

My Erie Canal: You Always Led Me Home

home to your blanket
of tender, wrinkled water
and wind-blown seed fluff
from the Eastern Cottonwoods 
tickling your surface 
like kisses from frayed cotton balls 

‘Berlin’s Song’ is playing 
in perfect rhythm to 
the steady dancing of green leaves
that exploded on the branches
in unison when I wasn’t looking 

The wisteria teases the air
with undertones of clove, 
musk, and vanilla
similar to sweet peas 
(or so I read) 

The male blackbirds call 
“O-ka-leee! O-ka-leee!”  
The fat, speckled bunnies 
twitch their ears backwards 
and munch nonchalantly 
when I run by

Crunch, crunch, crunch I go:
the dry, warm dirt
beneath my ( holes here and there)
pink Brooks sneakers 

The meeting spot where my hair 
ends, the nape of my neck, 
I feel the sweat accumulate 

Six miles in 
There is The University
of Rochester 
There is Curtis Point 
and the crew team skims by
not breaking the water 
or scarring the ducks away 
from their warm spot
on floating logs

I used to run to you mom, 
Alex and Lauren were there too,
home from college
playing Russian bank for hours,
drinking frozen margaritas 
at the kitchen table 
your red sauce with sausage
on the stove
making the air rich

I ran from Fairport
to the women who shaped my life,
gave birds by the pond
(the one in our backyard) 
a reason to sing, 
the sun a reason to linger
just a little longer in early June
before melting below 
the stretching cattails 
that strove to see us laughing 
inside 

That is the only memory 
that makes Pittsford special 
to me 

Now I am forty 
The canal, the trees, 
the northeastern birds 
all accentuate 
the best of here 

My Erie canal:
lead me back, 
bring me home 
to you

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