land o lakes

a house grew in linden hills

by the white of its fences 

and golden retrievers

untrained to the lisping ice slicks

felted grass lawns crunched

beneath frozen feet

of pillow people who clouded 

between dirty dank carpet dens

and wood paneled station wagons 

these salt pork lutheran

pioneers of the long nighted

danish pancakes and pats of margarine 

drips of minute maid on the linoleum

cookies in jars so labelled

shaker style tables where children were spanked

for the early onset 

cynicism of a late spring

that delivered flying squirrels 

who ate the furniture

shed gray fur on the staircase

where children tumbled

in their first underwear

to a bitter landing