Go Fishing

We set out in the spring

With a trunk full of books about everything

About solar devices

And how nice natural childbirth is

We cut down some trees

And we trailed our ideals

Through the forest glade

We dammed up the stream

And the kids cooled their heels

In the fishing pool we'd made

We held hands and we exchanged bands

And we practically lived off the land

You adopted a fox cub

Whose mother was somebody's coat

You fed him by hand

And then snuggled him down

By the grandfather bed while I wrote

We grew our own maize

And I only occasionally went into town

To stock up on antibiotics

And shells for the shotgun that I kept around

I told the kids stories while you worked your loom

And the sun went down sooner each day.

The leaves all fell down

Our crops all turned brown

It was over

As the first snowflakes fell

I realized all was not well in the camp

The kids caught bronchitis

The space heater ran out of diesel

One weekend a friend from the East

God damn his soul

Stole your heart

I said "Fuck it then

Take the kids back to town

Maybe I'll see you around"

And so...leaving all our hopes and dreams

To the wind and the rain

Taking only our stash

Left our litter and trash

And set out on the road again

On the road again