John Minczeski
Letter of Recommendation
The neighbor stood by his garage, binoculars raised,
almost warbler season, though warming has everything
in flux. Coyote or fox, he said, pointing.
It’s been a long year and we need to talk
to somebody to stay sane. Remember when
they said it would be about now we could talk
herd immunity? Fox, I said, far enough
down the block for the dog’s fading eyesight
to miss. Red coat, the brush of a tail
dipped in white. There are still those
who dream of taking over the world,
not the fox. The neighbor had his first dose
on Friday at the state fairgrounds. It would crack
sixty the third or fourth time this spring.
April was like tying and retying a shoelace.
John Minczeski is the author of A Letter to Serafin, Circle Routes, and other collections. Most recent poems are in past or upcoming issues of Cider Press Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Rhino, Atticus Review, and elsewhere. He has worked as a poet in the schools, taught at assorted colleges around the Twin Cities, through The Loft, etc. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.