The frontier

I knew the front cover was heavy Columbus
and then later Virginia, with Washington, cherry trees, curly hair.
The seashore and Virginia, those I saw. Later,
flipping through, I saw there was close dark print
Something about the Beach Boys singing about Nixon in California
surf.

But what comes in between Columbus and my chapter?
I skimmed through the syllabus Lewis&Clark drew up for me.
Passed unit tests in 1812 and 1914 to check I'm on track.
Firm plots are cordoned off in chapters
little numbers next to them in the Table of Contents
Every year the Almanac reports the movement of the frontier
(by now the Mississippi area has congealed-I was worried
it would never be straight,
when I first went by. But
it did, in hindsight.) Unconciously, I fill out the trail behind me, filing new people. Immigrants and
time and population and so many feet widened and hardened it. Looking
forwards, I send out railroads and wagonloads-
tendrils, I read ahead to ready because
I want a textbook in my head.