"Grandparents"
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Four squat dolmens; flints Where you wanted eyes.
You'll find no village—
They've driven the neighbors out.
With hoarded tears
They've salted the plain
Sterile to flowers
And fruit-bearing trees.
Among their bequests:
A sealed box, dense
As a brick of osmium,
Placed on the chest in sleep
As a charm against nightmare.
(It asphyxiates dreams.)
Paul Breslin is professor of English at Northwestern University and the author of You Are Here.
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