Where Purgatory Might be Found
Round Lake, Il.

If Purgatory did exist,
like Heaven, there may be
cigarette butts on the floor.
It might be painted in earth tones.
It would be a place where children go
after they tire of giant amusement parks.

Outside it would be hot
The asphalt pit would not be hidden
by compacted cubes of industrial waste.
Streams of heat would waver above the tar pit.
Tanker trucks bloated with flammable gas
would move languorously even
as conveyor belts from the depths
of the mine rested.

In air-conditioned cabins
of airplanes would lie hope.

Everything would be in abeyance
as at Round Lake depot--
a place to purge oneself
of worldly concerns
until the trains to airports arrive.