arkansas

-

eastbound, little rock
has steamy edge - baked west fades
in rearview mirror
(2-10)

devil's den campfire,

southern grace 'n' charm, refuge from

th'northern experience

(11-14)

certain mean spirit -

ozark exit locusts chirp

t'drown out th'foul language

(11-14)

downtown little rock,
thirty and the arkansas -
wetland summer sounds
(11-13)




abandoned cabin,
deep hazen woods - nap, halfway
mex'co to iowa
(1-13)






two-lane near ozark,
woods ease into fall, old truck
into second gear
(1-07)





hog fans, down for game -
old pickup, eureka swerves,
fumbling all the beers
(1-13)





man from spur, texas
look'n for wooded ozark land-
snow falls on 'closed' sign
(10-05)





little rock motel -
six share room, sleep in shifts, work
right through holidays
(1-13)







hard life of drinking
ends on icy glazed park bench
in texarkana
(9-08)






has millions, but gets
heet for truck, says 'nice weather' -
and leaves for f'ettev'lle
(8-05)







fort smith freeway bridge
feeling - ice breaks on river,
clear skies to the west
(2-10)






hope waitress' ashtray's
smoke floats to faded ceiling,
another year ends
(9-08)

hope bridesmaid's complaint -

church door's stuck, spring rains starting -

it takes a good yank

(2-10)

at mountain home sign,
dawn reaches ridge - ride or two
from dulcimer jam
(2-10)





needs gas n'seed money
or a life - an hour from hope,
but four from dallas
(1-13)






eureka skater's
steep venue - staid victorians,
cliffside wildflowers
(2-10)

california

coast fog, crashing waves -
big sur, soothing balm, after
sizzling desert roads
(6-13)

finds him out in th'haight

dealin' 'n' trippin' at th'same time,

even on the fourth

(1-12)

dodgers at candl'stick,
ancient and bitter feud - pard'n,
but I'm just pass'n through
(6-13)





humboldt redwood dreams,
ferns, rotted bark as mattress,
canopy as tent
(9-08)

campfires on the beach -

he grew up 'n l.a., but knows

it'll never be th'same

(12-14)

downtown stockton - five's

shoulder, flat tire, van 'f hikers,

impatience 'f the law

(10-14)

saw sign say'n "zzyzx"-
california in summer
or desert mirage?
(1-13)






road to manzanar -
sweat imprisons, sun rises,
camp memories burn
(3-10)






takes three days to get
from south l.a. to north by thumb
nights with roadside flowers
(7-05)






road splits in barstow,
where hopes fry like egg on road -
one hiker's still stuck
(7-05)

from baldy, th'hazy

valley - warm winters're good,

summers like this're hell

(12-14)

cheese, apple, skippy -

waves crash, harvest moon rises

over th'hearst castle

(12-14)

candlestick vendor
doesn't want to run for change -
tired of long season
(2-10)





third night, roadside flowers,
vast valleys, l.a. traffic -
miss'n two-lane's colors
(9-14)





even on saints' day,
flowers blooming on hillside -
l.a. freeway bridge
(2-10)

-->

halloween t’souls day,

same exit, same l.a. smog,

same roadside flowers

(5-15)

souls' day cable car

rider - "how limiting 't is

t'only love women"

(11-14)

mendocino surf's

brooding crash - 'n' abalone

for thanksgiving feast

(10-14)

police on the ten
stop hikers five yards from sign -
no christmas spirit
(2-10)






savage traffic fumes -
neon diamond, sunset haze,
christmas eve descends
(12-11)






took four days to hitch
south l.a. to north - new year
in roadside bushes
(2-12)






santa monica
cop, no hot crimes, spends new year
waking the homeless
(9-10)






venice canal's edge -
old country's reflection in
a champagne bottle
(9-10)





week in griffith park
'f love, coffee, peanut butter -
holidays come and go
(9-10)





got to san diego
felt the dark east behind him -
epiphany tide
(5-13)






high sierra storm
ice on pines and patios
takes one's breath away
(7-05)






lodi trucker's drawl -
it's only green in winter,
brown, rest of the year
(12-10)






mountain winds whistle,
snow-laden pines sway and shriek -
long barn and its glade
(12-10)







art on venice walls -
they ignore it all winter,
he tags the palm tree
(4-10)





backup on the five
cars, sun, air con - for this we
trade scraping windshields?
(7-05)








sweeping clay street curbs,
he speaks of spring festivals
where weather changes
(11-13)






sleeps days, big sur woods -
spring moon at highway crossing,
nights by ocean waves
(9-10)





panhachel 'til may
then bring it to malibu
in time for arts fest
(9-10)

mother’s day, golden

gate bridge – quickly, help give her

some reasons to live!

(5-15)

june evening drama -
he curses the four oh five
and all its people
(8-10)

colorado

-
his back to traffic,
his sandals catch on asphalt -
wants out of denver
(1-13)





we live in rifle,
nothing funny about it -
happy fourth to ya
(1-12)






pueblo yards blazing,
minutes t'hours, waiting for train -
all t'stay off th'highway
(1-12)






aspen leaves shimmer,
soft afternoon light shines through -
delay denver life
(8-05)






asleep in the hay,
down mountain roads near aspen,
but th'truck loses wheel
(1-12)






hitchhiking against
traffic - estes park aspens
shimmer in the sun
(1-12)





djiboutian cabbie
wants clues - denver conventions,
summer mystery
(8-12)






just up the mountains,
red rocks, blue sky, sun - guitar
solo shimmers, sears
(8-12)






flatlanders in vail
all summer, filling their tanks -
trip home's all downhill
(8-05)





bear logo reflects
in downtown denver's windows -
woodsman's labor day
(8-12)






cafe on sixteenth-
painted piano, well-played -
only leaves respond
(8-12)





trinidad cowboy
in town to belt down a few
cuss out the broncos
(9-08)





pastries from dumpster,
fried acorns, creamers he'd swiped
back in evergreen
(11-13)

th'platte - souls' day refuge

from traffic and th'business world

of downtown denver

(11-14)

at lookout exit,
truckers warned - icy blizzard,
descent treacherous
(8-12)




-->

likes boulder ‘n’ th’snow, but

th’”free tibet” bumper stickers

impress him the most

(5-15)

high above denver,
tunnels blocked by drifts, car stuck,
white noise, no defrost
(9-08)





san luis winters -
so hard, so long, they'd forgot
what candles were for
(11-13)






larimer diner
omelet's ham and cheese - warmth for
next mile-high blizzard
(2-10)






rancher from hugo,
larimer street club, march squall -
his eyes will adjust
(1-12)

ways outside steamboat,

mountain road, ‘n th’alpine daisies

th’mountain goat appears
(5-15) 





limon boxcar door
slams on april fools' day joke
whole punchline, he missed
(10-08)





mem'ry, horizon
melt together in june sun
next town, dinosaur
(9-08)





-

connecticut

mango, pocketknife,
church lawn - litchfield knows he's not
episcopalian
(1-14)





lonely stretch of eight -
locusts' shrill protest, that he'd
walk to western mass
(1-14)




-->

bridgeport exit weeds –

‘n th’shadow of th’old mill, he sews

th’patches on his jeans

(5-15)

new canaan car wash
scrubs august earth off license,
constitution state!
(10-08)

hates th'insurance biz -

tavern on avon's main street,

lifts glass t'hopeless sox

(10-14)

th’cashier sells hope, at

th’meshantucket casino –

out here, th’leaves ‘re changing

(6-15)

th’deep blue ‘f shewville brook,

th’bright leaves – th’certain doom, she says,

something y’get used to

(6-15)

 

stonington exit –

bed ‘f leaves ‘n’ acorns seems better

than th’steady take ‘f th’game
(6-15)
 


old mystic hiker,
pot of pine needle tea: first
frost melts with sunrise
(10-08)





just past danbury,
sunrise through valley's wood smoke -
a voice says: don't leave
(5-13)






groton trucker's horn,
celebrating pats' vict'ry -
rest stop clarion
(10-08)






leaves turn peacefully
but wall street and its culture -
just down the merritt
(7-05)






pequot gamer says
lot less snow up here these days -
lot more rusted cars
(2-10)

hutch river to th’ryes –

getting one’s mind prepared

for the holidays

(5-15) 

asylum hill cook –

th’feast is f’r watching th’roseparade

‘n’ for forgetting th’past

(6-15)

 

powder ridge ski lift
gears grind, heart heals painfully
eternal delays
(10-08)






tea served in step-van,
bridge freezes where ninety-five
crosses thames river
(10-08)






poet's glasses crack
'tween pack and icy road sign
at avon junction
(10-08)






housatonic woods
campfire crackles against chill
bitter march morning
(10-08)






choose to be patient,
sheep will move when weather breaks,
quaker hill back road
(10-08)





algonquin campfire
breakfast - the blackest coffee
to thaw the late freeze
(3-10)






u-conn hoops champ says
campus comes alive in march,
no town to speak of
(1-07)

-

delaware

-

rehoboth lifeguard,
his attention diverted,
loses a moment
(1-07)





r.v.'s in dover -
ribs, beer, anticipation;
race day approaches
(4-10)

slaughter beach - the child's

sandcastle saves th'horseshoe crabs

stranded by low tide

(10-14)

centreville meeting

graveyard - picnic with folks who

don't share my lifestyle

(12-14)

dover nascar champ
logos bathed in vict'ry lights
speed, power, gold tooth
(4-10)






diplomat's beemer
double parked in rehoboth -
summer's patience gone
(4-10)








two ninety five bridge
traffic hums - in batt'ry park,
fall comes in with tide
(4-10)






outside zwaanendael,
leaves in wind - couple argues
about 'going dutch'
(4-10)





big night at the schwarz -
small town wears its pearls and heels,
first snow hits east coast
(4-10)

jealous of dupont

and his immaculate billiards,

winter t'hone his skills

(11-14)

chopped wood, blazing fire,
can of beans, bread, potatoes -
hardscrabble new year
(9-08)






epiph'ny tide at
rehoboth - bottle, note from
th'canary islands
(4-10)





dime off memorial -
frozen delaware's better
than that flyers' rink
(4-10)

des'lation, despair -

th'faces 'f bundled up commuters

at churchman's crossings

(12-14)

wilmington rest stop
tourist daydream - visit folks
tax refund goes to
(7-05)





ocean of water
spring rains, and nothing to do
beth'ny's dry's ever
(4-10)

winterthur gardens -

her smile looks diff'rent, thousands

'f flowers behind her

(11-14)

she works at nemours,

faithful t'dupont 'n' th'legacy -

when flow'rs bloom, she dreams

(11-14)

-

florida

-

jupiter dune tracks,
lead out into ocean tides,
june's gentle blanket
(10-08)





old town sanibel -
on the fourth, they want th'real thing
and t'relax, finally
(2-14)




arrive at key west
to summer sunset dock dreamers -
kiss the earth, grateful
(~05)






anna maria's
wide, empty beach - got used to
calm august tempo
(2-14)

dockside at sunset,

their eyes meet - even keywest

has a hunter's moon

(11-14)

gators' line held up -
three steaks and ten beers later,
thinks he's entitled
(1-13)

yom kippur - west palm

widow, sorry she brought him,

sad he had to leave

(11-14)

souls' day in boca -

in rhinestones and high heels,

got four clubs in mind
(11-14)

old ybor city,
trolley to cuban kitchen -
turkey, flan 'n' cigar
(6-08)

jax traffic nightmare,

black friday at th'malls - th'old man

heads back t'saint aug'stine 
(11-14)

in disney line, kids

watch santa whisper t'mickey -

personnel issue

(11-14)

got friends in boca -
it's a good place to thaw out
when champagne goes flat
(9-05)

wakes up in boca –

silk sheets, but she’s hid th’champagne,

th’husband rings th’buzzer
(5-15)

vengeful and violent –

waves crash on south beach, b’yond th’porch,

he turns on th’rose bowl
(5-15) 

new years, south fed’ral –

she’s got money, th’bad marriage,

he’s got th’pack ‘n’ th’fiddle

(5-15)

new year - what's left of
three bottles, and the same curb
hemingway sat on
(1-13)





glove rubs rounded glass,
she swears she'll never forget
the launch on this beach
(1-13)





homestead motor home,
new york blizzard on its screen -
no guilt or regret
(2-14)





maine to chile, but
luck, time stop in miami
for epiphany storm
(1-13)






la-dee-dah's nightlife,
a spring break destination,
weary bum's tangent
(9-08)





jupiter beach dunes -
starry march night reaches wide,
pulls gray ocean tides
(9-05)






thirty-a traffic -
spring break, whole world comes t'visit,
sits out on th'highway
(2-14)






cards in jupiter -
cigars, flask, hoops brackets, and
jacket just in case
(3-10)





the girl, from jersey
to sea world this march - dolphin
looks her in the eye
(1-13)





up t'ten from the keys,
ready for the long hitch to th'coast - 
dawn with st. johns frogs
(2-14)





dominic'n easter -
she explains through tears why she's
still on concourse f
(1-13)





builder frames his house,
tampa reaches to marshes -
scrub jay moves her nest
(4-10)

-