contrary to legend, the brothers
never died from exhaustion
nor from Apollo's quixotic mercy
but they did sleep well for two nights
as their mother rambled on in the dark
they left Delphi crestfallen
and slumped into the harness on the third morning,
glanced at the mumbling woman
and headed back to the farm
commentary:
looking northwest from the farm
you can see where
in another age
the edge of a glacier
left a row of rocks
arrayed in a frozen line
still marching south.
looking to the east
you can still find the place
where a train of oxen-drawn Conestogas
stopped long enough
for my great-grandmother
to be born.