The Sled

when the fence around the yard stood
taller than me
i listened to the old man next door whistling
and scraping away
i grabbed a stool that Dad used
to paint the black shed roof
i peered over 
he told me it was a sled it was so big and sleek that i knew it would soar
down the big hill when the snow came
when i asked what he needed a sled for
in the first place he said
that man always needs a way 
to get away
that winter i built an igloo and sat with 
ice chips melting into my socks 
and thought i understood what he meant
life passed like ears stuffed with cotton
years later i went home and my neighbor
had moved out but the sled still remained
rusty and peeling in the yard
i thought about fixing it up 
getting it together
venturing out into the
Great White North
then i noticed a tiny set of black hand prints
on the fence and changed my mind
it isn't a method of escape that man needs
it's something to guide him home