Niagara of Memory ii. $20

In the town Sanborn, New York

a tiny village in the snow and cold

that shades the southern length

of Lake Ontario to a depth of 10 or 20 miles.

It was a sunny day,

but not the hard, blue light

of winter days.

the softer light of spring shone

Spring had an odor

through the shallow
half melted snow
we could smell the soil

damp and full of the  new

I was driving with my grandmother

to buy a new pair of dungarees

(that was what we called "jeans"

in the day. Those are the words

my son uses to dismiss me

when I speak of anything

that happened prior to

his birth.)

It was in the morning

it must've been in the morning

for my grandmother was an early riser

any task that required driving

was done early in the day

for she was terribly afraid

to drive at night.

We were just on the outskirts of town

what I shouted out stop

then again stop

the grating squeal

of near useless  brakes

from the 1963 falcon

filled the air

I scrambled over the seat

and before my grandmother

could catch me

I was out the door

and running back down the road

I came back

a $20 bill

in my grip

I held it between my two hands

so that my grandmother could see

why I had frightened her so

for our sudden stop

Her eyes softened

and why didn't a bit

back then

$20 was like $100 now

not enough to kill for

but more than enough to stop for

For months after that

my grandmother would tell the story

of how her grandson had such eyes

as to be able to see a $20 bill

lying in the grass

alongside the road

while driving by at 40 miles an hour.

Clearly, she was impressed.

I was a little less impressed

you see, I pay for the groceries that week

and received a double allowance for my vigilance.

I took in $.50,

not bad, for a $20 bill. You