missouri

current rafters' fire
of brush from sandy bottoms
mem'ries of lost loves
(2-10)






clear skies up st. jo
way, but river keeps rising -
right over the road
(7-05)






trucks' rumble as bass,
locusts' melody, harsh glow
kingdom city sign
(4-10)









lake of the ozarks
water dirty - but still lets
a boy catch a fish
(7-05)






missouri cow game -
drive through green hills, count, lose all
at cemetery
(2-10)






live in the moment,
steady canoe, shoot rapids
on current river
(7-05)






st. gen exit ramp,
weeds aflower, locusts deaf'n -
roads drift into haze
(9-09)





a single two-lane
snakes through branson - takes all of
august to get through
(2-10)




y'all come back t'see us,
branson waitress says - august
traffic chokes the road
(1-07)






leg blown off in 'nam,
now i sit in bootheel house,
watch weeds go to seed
(9-05)





milkweed patch near troy -
monarch, your road seems less direct,
you, too, should go south
(2-14)

paw paw - she finds fruit

old mines' brogue is named after,

serves it with pancakes

(10-14)




white spires, bridge at cape
dove's wings perched on great river
november's sun falls
(11-09)





ozark pastor's prayer
for new highway echoes - first
snow dusts joplin road
(12-13)





king bridge's rumbling -
geese, following the river,
louder than people
(1-13)






louisiana,
mexico - missouri towns,
road sign winter dreams
(8-05)






quilt on truman's bed
for eighty lamar winters
too close to wood stove
(2-10)






epiphany feast -
pizza and bottled water
at lambert airport
(1-13)




-->

thunder bay t’n’orleans,

crossing sev’nty, snow t’hard rain

time f’r cup of coffee
(1-15) 

delmar diner cook –

scorn f’r th’poorly dressed ‘hoosiers’

come in from th’blizzard

(6-15)

scarred concrete pillar,
icy shoulder - mem'ry of
mcgwire highway sign
(1-11)






the arch soars, a steel
ribbon cuts, turns - but unlike
my kite, it comes back
(8-05)





plane veers over arch
westbound, a world opens up -
march ozark sunset
(3-10)






foot of the king bridge,
press waits for tournament teams -
sweet sixteen comes home
(3-10)






flooded bootheel plain
march sun, exit bridge doubt me -
bragadoccio
(3-11)




lambert lot shuttle
suitcases press on child's doll
now safe from march rain
(1-10)







june rain pounds the bridge,
muddy missouri rises -
earth city sign's lost
(4-10)