Saturday, May 16, 2015

Oklahoma

sixty six, claremore
camps near the ‘eat’ sign, t’make sure
he doesn’t forget
(2-16)








oke city highrise –
t’th’north, fireworks, t’th’south, good old boy
getting arrested
(2-16)








his fourth - tales of old
ragtown, anadarko, tribes
whose lands were taken
(11-13)







wall ‘f banjos ‘n bricktown
reflect ‘gainst their glass case – now
they’re safe from th’air con
(11-17)







down through oke city
th’sun beats down on th’motel sign,
th’faded oasis
(7-16)








tales of th’one lane bridge –
lived near sapulpa, ‘n’ he’d fish
rock creek, just t’watch th’show
(2-16)








grand lake downpour blinds
all but those who know by heart
road to fishin' hole
(9-08)








green country downpour –
spends th’summer weekends ‘t grand lake,
always plenty ‘f fish
(1-17)







dog days in lawton
'f you thought soldiers would be out
you were mistaken
(12-11)




lawton’s blazing sun
folks who live here seem t’adjust,
not a soul on th’street
(10-16)







avoids th’will rogers
take th’land, says th’guy ‘n th’melon truck,
then charge us t’use it
(11-17)




 

plains outside lawton
even th’old motel’s air con
can’t beat th’pow’rful heat
(6-17)







baseball ‘n oke city
short hop, pitcher t’ th’first baseman,
couple ‘f small earthquakes
(8-17)






okemah native
knows well your sultry welcome -
completely ignored
(12-11)







blazing lawton sun
keeps folks off streets and hiding
in army's air-con
(1-07)






ain't the first outlaw
these ouachitas ever hid
on a summer night
(8-05)









wildflow’rs on th’free road –
chandler man likes sixty-six,
no use f’r th’will rogers
(2-16)








bricktown cowboy’s lass –
not as sure ‘bout th’drinking he plans
f’r th’labor day weekend
(7-15)









near judy ranch - dusk,
marsh grass - southbound whooping cranes
also stop to rest
(11-13)






judy ranch sunset –
south ‘cross th’prairie, th’whooping cranes
‘ve chosen this spot t’land
(11-17)








out by th’judy ranch,
he says, work’s hard, ‘n’ th’weather’s bad –
stops t’watch th’southbound cranes
(1-17)






road to stillwater -
sunset on rust-colored fields,
hawk scans for his prey
(1-15)





two-lane t’stillwater
th’hawk scans th’frosted sorghum field,
th’kids think ‘bout breakfast
(10-17)






town like okemah,
first frost ‘n’ they watch th’trav’ler –
best not mention th’name
(10-16)








piercing eyes, pumpkin
patch, anadarko back road -
our worlds, so different
(11-13)








‘round sunset he stops
at th’anadarko pumpkin stand –
simple transaction
(10-16)









lifted weights in barn,
play'n for th'sooners, tornado
took all but the weights
(11-13)





drillers on th’weekend –
motel showers, beer ‘n’ fritters,
‘n’ th’soonersquarterback
(11-17)







playing for th’sooners
when th’twister hit – decided
never t’leave home ‘gain
(10-16)







near ada, coffee's
weak, stuffing's dry - in a booth,
an old man says grace
(11-13)





complains ‘bout th’stuffing,
th’ada man says grace and flirts
like he did at home
(10-16)




 
cranberries from th’can
ada man burns th’last ‘f his smokes,
family’s long gone
(11-17)





hot tea for th’long drive –
‘n clinton, says th’arapaho,
least made it t’ th’highway
(11-17)







heard th’champagne bottles –
th’earthquakes, says th’edmond wine clerk,
might ‘s well get used t’em
(12-15)









th’howling guymon wind –
can’t help see th’wrapping paper
up ‘gainst th’barbwire fence
(1-17)



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salt trucks ‘n th’yukon roads,
strong coffee, ‘n’ both hands on ]th’wheel –
he knows all th’exits
(11-17)






arches ‘bove th’freeway
with th’freezing rain, hesitate,
‘n’ you might have trouble
(10-17)






tulsa truck stop tale –
hitching t’th’coast t’see his girlfriend,
th’ice storms delayed him
(1-17)









clinton mcdonald's -
exchange of hot tea, cold hiker
'n' cheyenne arapahoe
(1-15)










broken bow trucker,
road salt on th’overalls too –
not sure what he said
(12-16)









panhandle ranchers
on windswept plain - another
bag of sand in truck
(8-05)






frigid guymon morn –
th’plains wind blows th’wrapping paper
up against th’barbed wire
 (10-16)








kaw nation's coffee -
at th'border sign, he spills some
on th'icy gravel
(1-15)








yukon’s glazed freeway –
he knows by heart th’license plates
of th’native nations
(12-15)












kids with happy meals,
below, m'ssouri-bound cars
swerve on sleeted lanes
(11-13)







panhandle duststorm
th’trav’ler, unprepared for th’stop,
‘n’ two hours ‘n th’wine cellar
(3-18)
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rest stops near tulsa
march tornado blows semi
westbound to eastbound
(1-07)






'don't drive through smoke' sign
asks what kinds of fires you'd see-
spring in green country
(1-07)







spring ‘n th’field ‘f empty chairs
she comes here a lot, us’ally
doesn’t cry like this
(11-15)










her ex worked th’gun shows –
spring rain ‘n th’reflection pool – just
happened t’meet those guys
(11-15)












spring ‘t th’survivors’ wall
she tells how he told them ‘bout
ammonium nitrate
(11-15)






field of empty chairs
to th’schoolchildren, it’s th’day off,
t’her, it’s th’deepest ‘f grief
(4-18)






ouachita mountain
backroad leads down into fog -
blossoms still hiding
(9-08)










fog in th’ouachitas
may be that some folks live here,
like th’flowers, hidden
(1-17)






come down off th’high plains,
ouachita mountains draped ‘n fog –
secrets waiting t’bloom
(10-16)







slept ‘n th’field ‘f goldenrod
ouachita mountain rain comes,
‘n’ he’d like t’find th’people
(1-18)


 



th’trucker hits tulsa
near oral roberts, th’dust storm,
lost th’need for th’two step
(4-18)




-->


rain ‘t th’survivors’ wall
she watches all th’schoolchildren
splashing in th’puddles
(10-17)







panhandle rancher –
impatient with th’devil’s claws
pulls from th’puppy’s fur
(5-16)










may rains grip tulsa -
docent listens to tramp's tale
of storming dachau
(12-11)









helmet’s from dachau,
says th’bum t’th’docent – sheltered now
from tulsa’s may rains
(10-16)








bois' city founders
sold dreams with no more substance
'n these spring tumbleweeds
(1-13)







grand lake, bait ‘n’ tackle –
th’fish seem t’be hungriest
either side ‘f th’spring rains
(7-17)




i’m serious, she says –
th’flow’rs ‘n th’wichita mountain field
called th’indian blanket
(2-17)






june wedding – guymon
groom shows th’cowboy boots he’ll wear,
‘n’ th’bit he made for th’bride
(6-15)



e pluribus haiku

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