And I Roll With My Dog in the Leaves
By Robert M. Katzman © November 18, 2018
What I will soon miss
The musty fragrance
The quiet and diverse crackle
That they group together seemingly for warmth
That the overwhelming beauty is so transitory
Leaves in Autumn beseech us to pay attention
“Be not so busy as to watch us flow by you”
I never rake them, but watch them crumble
Become part of next Spring’s replenished Earth
Feeding the young ones who are so hungry
Sometimes I burn a bushel, a small crime
But I stand over them as the smoke envelopes my head
I breathe deeply of the delicious smoke,
Feel its taste on my tongue
And for a very short moment
I am a child again on the South Side of Chicago
Running through the endless piles of burning leaves
Stacked against the concrete curb
Stretching down the long block from 87th Street
The wavering smoke attached
To my clothes
My face
My hair
Seeking the right words
Is challenging my ability
To capture emotion
In a bottle like fireflies
My young dog Smokey runs after me
His pink tongue flowing past his black gums
Until I suddenly stop
Scoop up my wonderful pet
Race to masses of unburned leaves
Under the thick tall maples
Now naked against wind
And I roll with my dog in the leaves
And just for this moment
As the new Autumn smoke
Fills my old self
I am once again young
And happy
*******************
Publishing News!
(Currently seeking representation as a speaker/poet for hire)
Bob Katzman’s two new true Chicago books are now for sale, from him!
Vol. One: A Savage Heart and Vol. Two: Fighting Words
Gritty, violent, friendship, classic American entrepreneurship love, death, heartbreak and the real dirt about surviving in a completely corrupt major city under the Chicago Machine. More history and about one man’s life than a person may imagine.
Please visit my new website: http://www.dontgoquietlypress.com
If a person doesn’t want to use PayPaI, I also have a PO Box & I ship anywhere in America.
Send me a money order with your return and contact info.
I will get your books to you within ten days.
Here’s complete information on how to buy my books:
Vol 1: A Savage Heart and Vol. 2: Fighting Words
My books weigh almost 2 pounds each, with about 525 pages each and there are a total together of 79 stories and story/poems.
Robert M. Katzman
Don’t Go Quietly Press
PO Box 44287
Racine, Wis. 53404-9998 (262)752-3333, 8AM–7PM
Books cost $29.95 each, plus shipping
For: (1) $3.95; (2) $5.95; (3) $7.95; (4) $8.95 (5) $9.95;(6) $10.95
(7) $11.95; (8) $12.95; (9) $13.95 (10) $15.95 (15) $19.95
I am also for hire if anyone wants me to read my work and answer questions in the Chicago/Milwaukee area. Schools can call me for quantity discounts for 30 or more books. Also: businesses, bookstores, private organizations or churches and so on.
My two latest books are available in the Racine Wis Public Library. Both books are labeled: 921 KAT. ROB on their spines, in autobiography Dept.
Signed Books are also for sale at:
Studio Moonfall Bookstore, 5031 7th St. Kenosha, Wis, email: hello@studiomoonfall