SPECIAL SALE AT OCEAN STATE JOB LOT

And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost

You can get fire pits; relax before you sleep.
You can get shock; pool cleaning acts before you sleep.
Pavilions, private blend coffee, and pool covers,
tents to set up, and Coleman lamps before you sleep.
Buy bleach for your Covid, inject it and be cured.
Hydroxychloroquine? Check shelves before you sleep.
But a cashier who recites Frost to perfection?
It’s not that you see her teeth, black before you sleep.
It’s not that you see her eyes, off and rather sad.
It’s her reciting of Frost, trance before you sleep.
You’ll find Paula at a register, wild black hair,
eyes a tad off, but Frost she’ll speak before you sleep.
I remember when she said, “Are you a teacher?”
“Yes. Poetry.” Eyes bright, she talked “…before you sleep.”
She said, full of joy, “I love poetry the best!”
She spoke Stopping By The Woods. Dance before you sleep!
Flawlessly, word for word, she said the whole poem.
John, call for a sale!! Poems for grabs before you sleep!

John L. Stanizzi, author of 10 collections, including most recently Four Bits, Sleepwalking, Pond. Published in Prairie Schooner, American Life In Poetry, many others. Translations appear widely in Italy. Nonfiction – Stone Coast Review, Ovunque Siamo, Adelaide, many others. Artist Fellowship in 2021 from Connecticut Office of the Arts. https://johnlstanizzi.com