under the mailbox
paper wasp's nest -
inside, one yellow flyer paper wasp's nest -
news from a small town 27, June, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
vixen
scroungy little vixen
oblivious to company -
straws among spring greens
oblivious to company -
straws among spring greens
news from a small town 26, June 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
local controls
post-holiday tradition
clack your beak, O eagle
over fresh placenta
in the fields -- january
is the season for calving
here, and steaming
fresh delicacies abound
over fresh placenta
in the fields -- january
is the season for calving
here, and steaming
fresh delicacies abound
cowboy qasida
claiming rightness, the truck slides
left over the stripes. Shall I shake
my fist or model evasiveness?
right or the other right, which
shall it be? You sumvabetcha -
just because you drive a big rig
with naked girls on the flaps, do you
think you own the whole damn road?
of course you do, and so do I. time
for a showdown on the road to
the OK Quarter-Circle corral. I move
aside, for I know something you don’t -
where the young cop Charlie
is hanging out, speed gun in hand.
I'll show you manners for now, but
not an ounce of pity when I pass you by.
left over the stripes. Shall I shake
my fist or model evasiveness?
right or the other right, which
shall it be? You sumvabetcha -
just because you drive a big rig
with naked girls on the flaps, do you
think you own the whole damn road?
of course you do, and so do I. time
for a showdown on the road to
the OK Quarter-Circle corral. I move
aside, for I know something you don’t -
where the young cop Charlie
is hanging out, speed gun in hand.
I'll show you manners for now, but
not an ounce of pity when I pass you by.
For Ty's pop
(you know where you are)
(you know where you are)
“$720 to go move another man’s cows – there’s
something not right about that,” you groan, and
while you are right, that is not the reason
anyone has ever done it. this morning breaks with
the first hard rain in months and snow in the
forecast. well, you promised us good stories.
let’s see how you do. meanwhile, friends around
the campfire, and we know that’s not a bottle of milk
you have in your bedroll. take a slug, grain your horses.
something not right about that,” you groan, and
while you are right, that is not the reason
anyone has ever done it. this morning breaks with
the first hard rain in months and snow in the
forecast. well, you promised us good stories.
let’s see how you do. meanwhile, friends around
the campfire, and we know that’s not a bottle of milk
you have in your bedroll. take a slug, grain your horses.
news from a small town 25, May 2011
qasida for a public meeting
at a public meeting in the county,
people fill the cracks between
the lightning bursts of agreement
or inspiration with murmurs.
they are soft and comfortable, often
like mac-and-cheese – but mostly
harsh and char-burned: either
hard to stomach in quantity.
but look, you can make space
for yourself in here somewhere!
you can choose what pleases you
and the company that feeds you.
or ... you can duck and run. its just -
the casual or the civil is hard
to maintain; the thrilling - a wreck
in process. but you get to decide.
embracing the impossible-to-avoid
may be a virtue – or it may not.
you see, attachment to detachment -
complicates things. temperatures rise.
human beings: all the rattle, the bang.
his thunder/her echo: and wait for it,
just there, cooling on the counter–
a tepid cup of coffee-flavored tea.
people fill the cracks between
the lightning bursts of agreement
or inspiration with murmurs.
they are soft and comfortable, often
like mac-and-cheese – but mostly
harsh and char-burned: either
hard to stomach in quantity.
but look, you can make space
for yourself in here somewhere!
you can choose what pleases you
and the company that feeds you.
or ... you can duck and run. its just -
the casual or the civil is hard
to maintain; the thrilling - a wreck
in process. but you get to decide.
embracing the impossible-to-avoid
may be a virtue – or it may not.
you see, attachment to detachment -
complicates things. temperatures rise.
human beings: all the rattle, the bang.
his thunder/her echo: and wait for it,
just there, cooling on the counter–
a tepid cup of coffee-flavored tea.
news from a small town 24, May 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
hope springs quarterly
it's time for quarterly reports and
the guys who play with giant
toy trains are
tightrope walking on the old rails
during spring reporting.
the public is all a-bubble
there's “an over-expenditure
with the debt service.”oooooh!
“I don’t think it’s horrible.
I think we’re getting it
paid off.” ahhhhh!
and down the road Old Jim
grumbles about
turning the county into
box car parking: "git
the dang things
the dang things
away from my house, I can't
sell it with that trash there."
but just like every spring-
for sale signs pop all
over the county
like morels and calf's brains.
maybe
the tourists won't notice,
and maybe
they'll overpay.
hope springs. boxcars
and bettors settle.
hope springs. boxcars
and bettors settle.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
cowboy qasida
claiming rightness, the truck slides
left over the stripes. Shall I shake
my fist or model evasiveness?
right or the other right, which
shall it be? You sumvabetcha -
just because you drive a big rig
with naked girls on the flaps, do you
think you own the whole damn road?
of course you do, and so do I. time
for a showdown on the road to
the OK Quarter-Circle corral. I move
aside, for I know something you don’t -
where the young cop Charlie
is hanging out, speed gun in hand.
I'll show you manners for now, but
not an ounce of pity when I pass you by.
news from a small town 22, May 2011
left over the stripes. Shall I shake
my fist or model evasiveness?
right or the other right, which
shall it be? You sumvabetcha -
just because you drive a big rig
with naked girls on the flaps, do you
think you own the whole damn road?
of course you do, and so do I. time
for a showdown on the road to
the OK Quarter-Circle corral. I move
aside, for I know something you don’t -
where the young cop Charlie
is hanging out, speed gun in hand.
I'll show you manners for now, but
not an ounce of pity when I pass you by.
news from a small town 22, May 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
transaction at register 5
small town grocery clerk
hands small town sheriff
a bill and smiles.
"that will be $80."
"looks like I'm the one
who gives the big ticket
this time!" he grabs
the sack and smirks.
"you know, I had
my eye on you as you
drove past today."
"oh... well.... um... does
it count that I waved?"
he grins and shifts the
bag. "it’s the guilty ones
who wave the hardest."
hands small town sheriff
a bill and smiles.
"that will be $80."
"looks like I'm the one
who gives the big ticket
this time!" he grabs
the sack and smirks.
"you know, I had
my eye on you as you
drove past today."
"oh... well.... um... does
it count that I waved?"
he grins and shifts the
bag. "it’s the guilty ones
who wave the hardest."
news from a small town 21, May 2011
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