231 years later---
A grown man with jeans dirtier than his face,
but not as dirty as the overcast sky, just this side of rain,
pushes a bike with an old stroller tied to the back
as a trailer down the busiest street in town.
My grandfather is fitted for a hearing aid
at the V.A. Hospital
64 years after riding a battlecruiser
around the Pacific Rim.
The grass in the military cemetery
is manicured, yellow and burnt
after being cut too short, since it hasn't rained in weeks.
1,000 flags are ordered across the dried and dead lawn.
100 Mormon boys dressed in formal black and white
sing high, beautiful harmonies
inside the huge oak temple
until they reach puberty.
