August 26, 2008 by Melanie Alberts.

putting out the dog
insects cling to the still
warm stucco
of a sleeping house–
low morning moon

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August 15, 2008 by Melanie Alberts.

a faded quilt
stretches over our bed–
of the many things
we desired, the neon
lights of lust were first

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August 5, 2008 by Melanie Alberts.

The best thing about visiting Hanford, for me, was going to the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture. It’s about five miles south of town, in the middle of farm country. As we were driving there we found ourselves behind a large truck full of tomatoes heading for the Del Monte processing plant to become little cans of paste. It seems that Bill Clark, raised on a farm in Hanford, fell in love with Japanese art as a child from viewing pictures in a book. He eventually traveled to Japan and collected art throughout his life. He and his wife built a gorgeous Japanese style home, koi pond, garden and gallery in which to show the collection. I fell in love with the little gallery with its soft tatami floors which felt comforting on my bare feet. The gallery was equipped with magnifying glasses with which to view the art. My son delighted in using one and found many amazing details in the scrolls and sculpture lining the room. Before we entered he wondered if he should bow to the person taking our admission. He decided he would just shake hands.

The best thing about visiting Hanford, for my son, was the Superior Dairy restaurant. The food was simple, old-time lunch counter food, like what I remember having at Woolworths as a child: tuna salad on toast, big slices of pickle, bag of chips. However, the handmade ice-cream sundaes were monumental creations of joy and what drives folks travel miles upon miles to Hanford. How these sundae architects can stack giant scoops of ice-cream like that and not have the thing topple over amazed us. We ordered a fairly modest sized concoction and the three of us couldn’t polish it off. I noticed a sign that Superior Dairy will be celebrating its eightieth birthday next year…just like my mother. Eighty years in the same location, serving standard flavors made with care and natural ingredients, served up so high it makes kids’ eyes bulge on a daily basis.

The best thing about visiting Hanford, for my husband, was that we were there with him for his fortieth birthday. Having to travel more this summer wasn’t his cup of tea. Having to drive to Kansas directly after our return wasn’t a fun prospect. But having us there beside him when he wasn’t working made it all better. I thought it was funny how he hardly noticed the trains at all, all those trains that woke me at night. What he did notice was the affordable real estate, the fairly low prices for food (for California), especially the awesome $1 carne asada tacos at a local Mexican restaurant. He’d go back, he said, as he often does.

coming home–
how that branch hangs
close to the mailbox

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