Page 50

 The Changing Of Places50
The electric control
For the blanket on my side of the bed Doesn't go on, has burned out.
A friend came to help me
Turned the blanket over— Attached the control
From my husband's side
And now it goes on....
We used to argue
About the police
I said they were awful
I would never get in the car
With five cops,
No matter what.
My husband said
Police had been helpful
In the small Wisconsin town
Where he grew up
They made him feel safe
When he was little
"Cossacks," I said.
We were having a drink
Outdoors at the hotel
At the foot of Central Park
It's next door to Rumpelmayers'
I can't remember its name.
Most of a lifetime later
We sat on the sidewalk
Next to Rumpelmayers'
And I said the police were good,
Reliable, faced with serious problems