the ore is all gone

it was gone long ago

yet folks lingered on

they had nowhere to go

now even the ghosts

have dissolved in the heat

the only things left

are this side-walk and street

i remember the street

on the fourth of july

we stood on the curb

my best friend and i

with firetruck sirens

and flashing lights on

but it’s history now

the ore is all gone

–photo by me