The Old Gardner Homestead

Each year, the forest reclaims more
of the old Gardner homestead
in the glen on the mountain;
but the crows still come
80 years after the family left.
They perch on an ancient oak,
looking out over the sapling-clogged field
as if harboring ancient memories of corn.

(First appeared in 3rd Wednesday, Volume VIII, No. 4)

Crossings, a chapbook by 3rd Wednesday contributor, Jude Dippold is available at Finishing Line Press or Amazon.

This small book of short poems encompasses a surprising span of the territory of the human heart. After you read Crossings, don’t return it to the shelf—keep it handy. Go back to it now and then. Open it to random parts and feel the pulse and poignancy of your own humanity reflected in this wise and wonderful mirror.
– Reginald Darling

Jude Dippold was educated and trained as a philosopher, spent his career working as an editor and communications specialist, and now finds refuge in the worlds of poetry and photography. He has spent most of his life on the edge of Allegheny National Forest where he found both solace and inspiration. He now resides in the North Cascades of western Washington and has traded the Allegheny River for the Skagit. In addition to Third Wednesday, his poetry has been published in literary magazines at Jamestown Community College, the College of Central Florida, and most recently in Exult Press’ “The Yes Book, Writings About Yes.”