where i live now

the landlord
tells me
over a beer
that this
house was
a wreck
8 years ago

he tells me
the addicts
that used
to rent
the place
left over
5,000 lbs
of garbage
in a fenced
off section
of the yard

that even
after he
hauled it
all out
the dog
kept digging
things up
in other
spots

he dug up
a plate one
day, he says

then he walks
me out
to the side
of the house

see here?
he says

there used
to be
a mound
of cigarette
butts
two feet
high

he points up
to the window

they'd toss
them out
from there,
he said

the dog
still digs up
shit & when
i mow
the grass
i find pieces
of things,
he says

i try imagining
the tenants
before

junk in their veins
their stationary shapes
living in junk

like ghosts bound
to the perimeters
of a mini landfill

i understand
a large part
of this all