Rutherford County Creamery
Cheese Store

 Murfreesboro, TN

except for the painted sign

you'd never know what it was

and when they paint over that

being converted

to a Christian center

the building is intact

I don't know what it

looks like inside

but imagine a

fresh smell and

clean glass and

chrome counters

wood counters

painted white

some kind of

heaven for

cheese

a friend remembered

that they used to have

every kind of cheese

and it was a real treat

to go there

in a sky blue dumpster

i'd drive by every day

on my way to work

the colors of blue

and burgundy and

rust would catch my

eye and hypnotize

i'd look forward to

seeing it each day

Sunday i went with camera

and pieces around on the

ground, rotor angles

mirror propped up

the basketball hoop forlorn

against the wall

the rusted, bent-propped fan

and the decaying piece

wrenched out of

wherever it was

sticking out of the top

of the dumpster

blue of the dumpster

itself

rusting in places

scratches, dents

glowing in the sun

red geraniums on the

dark green steps now

the dumpster long gone

graceful handrail

the parking lot is

clean and

ready for cars

Amy Jackson

© 8/99