[Dear Angry Mob,]

By Kim Addonizio, Donald C. Babcock, Alan Ayling, Mary Aldis, Walter Albert, Zoë Akins, John Adams & Harold Acton
Dear Angry Mob,

Oak Wood Trail is closed to you. We
feel it unnecessary to defend our position,
for we have always thought of ourselves
(and rightly, I venture) as a haven for
those seeking a quiet and solitary
contemplation. We are truly sorry
for the inconvenience.

Signed,

                                 Ranger Lil


PS            Ofttimes as the day ends
                      on a wet bed of yellow leaves
                            or the sky densens gray and dark
                 I am brought to imagine
                      the growing disquiet
                             in the hearts of my countrymen

Copyright Credit: Joshua Beckman, “[Dear Angry Mob,]” from Take It. Copyright © 2009 by Joshua Beckman. Reprinted by permission of Wave Books.
Source: Take It (Wave Books, 2009)