I took a walk with John Steinbeck
Hemingway drove by
He was the only one with a car then

The hay lay in the field

Wheat lay along the tracks
“We used to harvest and thresh this by hand,” I said
“Yes,” he said

An Indian (we still called them that then)

Danced on the ledge
In the wheat
He danced for a reason

Some children lived next door to the Indian

They played a game in the street

“You have to use the electricity in the air,”

A little girl said
She was ahead of her time
She was ahead of mine
Her parents didn’t believe her
I believed

I could see it in the children’s eyes

The way they worked together
The way they played together

I felt the magic

The Indian danced and smiled