Drive up Route 7 and you can find<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shute\u2019s Pumpkin and Squash Stand<\/p>\n\n\n\n
where we buy Autumn Crown,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Honeynut, and Long Island Cheese<\/p>\n\n\n\n
squash. Maybe even Hubbard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once I grew Hubbards, their fat<\/p>\n\n\n\n
bodies swollen beneath mottled leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019d put them on a shelf in the cold<\/p>\n\n\n\n
closet or in basement boxes full<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of crumpled newspapers, save them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
for last, because they were so hard<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to cut. I\u2019d carry them up, haul them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
away from the thumping wood<\/p>\n\n\n\n
furnace, put them into a bowl<\/p>\n\n\n\n
of light on the kitchen table. Days<\/p>\n\n\n\n
like that are only dreams now,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
something I conjure up as I press<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a knife to tough skin. Keep the door<\/p>\n\n\n\n
closed. Keep the windows shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s finally raining. Watch the sea<\/p>\n\n\n\n
rise. So many needles have fallen<\/p>\n\n\n\n
this year. Drought or global warming?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t be casual with a Hubbard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make your first slice close<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to the neck, hope for tenderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
published in West Trestle Review, <\/em>Sept\/Oct 2022<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Drive up Route 7 and you can find Shute\u2019s Pumpkin and Squash Stand where we buy Autumn Crown, Honeynut, and Long Island Cheese squash. Maybe even Hubbard. Once I grew Hubbards, their fat bodies swollen beneath mottled leaves. I\u2019d put them on a shelf in the cold closet or in basement boxes full of crumpled … <\/p>\n