louisville

Rapid travel down
through auburn corridors,
piercing Dixie over the river
on iron girder bridges
dissected black in squares and diamonds
against the gray night sky,
stretching out like spindly insects,
connecting north to south.

Broad boulevards
of tall tan and yellow brick buildings
collect themselves in a rush
and push uphill to the East
where they shrivel into streets
and bearded men and bespectacled women
in thick black frames
drink ‘round tables in neighborhood bars until
four in the morning on weekdays.

A soft warm breeze blows down the side street
between a bright red brick building
and our colorful muraled tavern wall
along which we sit
at round tables,
under blue umbrellas,
watching the tepid wind push
ten thousand crunchy yellow leaves
down the street a while.

Morning comes, yet another time,
still too warm for November.

We take the snaking parkway lanes
through auburn corridors again.