Old Friends

© Matthew Word Bain

gas tank and a metal box
sitting quietly out back
strapped in and ready for travel
while the grass grows, indifferent
beneath their round feet
in an alley with color
and texture
framed by power
lines in the sky, an avenue
of rich green trees and gravel
on the ground before
an uncluttered backdrop
a wall freshly painted
beneath a clean white roof
waiting, patient