I walked down Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis today. I was feeling depressed. What came of it is the photo and poem below. I am very grateful to James of James and Mary Laurie Booksellers for lifting my spirits, and of course to his constant companions, Mssrs. P. Coleman, Rilke, and LK Hanson.

“Three Shops”

Three shops on the mall.
One contained beauty but was ugly, I cringed.
Two housed warmth but was cold, I shivered.
Three spilled out the door and into the street,
and its outsides pulled me inside
and its insides felt like home.