"The Problem After" by James B. Nicola

The problem after "There’s no place like home,"

however, is that there’s still the arrest

warrant for Toto outstanding—unless

Miss Gulch in Kansas happened to expire

just as the wicked witch melted in Oz.

In my version, Gultch melts—that is, relents—

and grateful Dorothy learns responsibility

at last, so when in crowded places keeps

her dog on a leash, his life in her hands.

James B. Nicola is the author of eight collections of poetry, the latest three being Fires of Heaven: Poems of Faith and Sense, Turns & Twists, and Natural Tendencies. His nonfiction book Playing the Audience won a Choice magazine award. A graduate of Yale, he has received a Dana Literary Award, two Willow Review awards, Storyteller's People's Choice award, one Best of Net, one Rhysling, and eleven Pushcart nominations—for which he feels stunned and grateful.