Letter to Minnehaha Creek: XI
Victoria Peterson-Hilleque


The yard sign quotes Paul
Wellstone, Politics is what  

we create by what we do,
what we hope for,

and what we dare to imagine.
Huge dog puppet rests

along the top of a station
wagon. Eyes, nose

and tongue hovering
over the windshield.

8 ft. Lucy statue carries mugs
of frothy root beer in the yard

next door. How much did it cost?
The last two years, Dorothy’s drugs

were $1,000 a month. She
did not think it was fair to those

who live and die without enough.
But she still took them, giving

herself two more years
to live. The ornery old man

angrily rakes his leaves
watching his dog

come over to me out
of the corner of his eye,

he yells, Come here Charlie.

~~~~~

The large oak is surrounded
by small branchy oaks

I am glad for their company.
So many have lost

more than me. This is my pallet,
grays, greens, browns,

a few red berries. The sun
hops off your surface, leaves

behind this half moon.

~~~~~

Imagine freeing the stuffed animals
in the laundry basket who press

against the window and cry
Release us. Imagine all the Christmas

 
yard ornaments emigrate
to Canada, the bear

in the Santa hat leads the way.
The hand-painted station wagon

says Holy Jungle Burgers
and Non-stop banjo.

Let’s drive it all over
the country until the peace

signs create peace.

About the author:
Victoria Peterson-Hilleque’s poems appeared or are forthcoming in Poetry Quarterly, Paper Nautilus, Apeiron Review, and other journals. She’s the Poet-In-Residence at Solomon’s Porch Church where she has taught a poetry workshop. She has an M.F.A. in creative writing from Hamline University and an M.A. In English from the University of St. Thomas. She lives in Minneapolis with her two adopted cats, two adopted kids, and a husband she picked up at a Bible study nearly two decades ago.