I imagine a lover has sent a note
I wonder to whom it is addressed
There are no visible markings
The note is folded and sealed.
I look outside a northern window
Down at the white bearded man
And his young apprentice
The young one is bare chested
They are carrying bags of cement
Up the narrow stairs to the house behind us. Back and forth, up and down.
The stairs remind me of The Great Wall of China
Very steep and uneven.
Careful attention must be taken to avoid a misstep
They do not look up.
I am unseen.
The young man requires rest
His breathing is labored. I know this because
His bare chest rises and falls in rapid succession,
but he recovers quickly. He descends shortly to lift
and carry yet another bag
diverting my attention, distracting me from the task at hand
How to scoop out this note
Without breaking the pretty blue glass bottle I rescued from the seashore
And solve what could be a two-hundred-year-old mystery.
Ó 11/6/25 Cornelia DeDona
Corney Press 