South Dakota

white folks ‘n’ th’pine ridge sioux
hope t’work on th’strained relations –
cigarette ‘n th’hot breeze
(6-16)





sure there’re guns in th’car,
says th’pine ridge sioux, ‘n’ they’ll stay there –
fireworks off in th’night
(6-16)






busted transmission
on hot deserted two-lane
just outside of faith
(10-05)






rank and sticky fourth,
amoco in kadoka -
sick on bathroom floor
(9-08)






grew up ‘n kadoka,
got this job at th’gas station,
now she has t’work th’fourth
(2-16)





clear sky, badlands wind –
he’d be flying down the road
but for th’transmission
(12-15)







trailer near th’pine ridge,
th’biracial kids play in th’dust –
she, too, heard th’gun shots
(11-16)






they're loud but love to
talk harleys - time they get here,
almost to sturgis
(4-10)








romance ‘t th’corn palace –
like all th’tourists, she just stopped
for something to do
(10-17)




jefferson’s shadow,
th’photographer’s obsession –
he buys sunburn salve
(12-15)






almost killed on th’rocks –
he tried t’get th’best shot ‘f lincoln,
but carried too much
(10-17)





those three on th'harleys,
forgot t’pay for what they took –
three less at sturgis
(11-16)



 

sturgis-bound bikers –
dwarfed by th’semis ‘n th’interstate,
foot-long beards caught ‘n th’breeze
(8-17)





clear, hot sun, sacred
black hills - just 'cause there's walmart
now, doesn't change that
(8-05)



-->

buffalo ‘n’ th’pronghorns –
tourists’re busy down ‘n wind cave,
‘n’ they see ‘nother day
(12-17)


pastor heads for huron -
save souls at state fair - carney's
as good as any
(5-13)







state fair at huron –
near th’waffle stand, th’pastor tries
t’preach gospel t’ th’carnies
(3-17)






funnel cakes ‘t huron –
th’pastor watches th’ferris wheel
‘n’ questions his mission
(10-17)



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afternoon ‘t th’bird cage –
th’tourist ‘t th’minor league baseball,
doesn’t quite get th’pace
(1-18)













wounded knee tourist –
he feels th’sense ‘f injustice
always close at hand
(10-17)








deadwood gambler's tale -
brought his whole life to sturgis,
lost it all 'n a bet
(11-14)








her shelter helps th’wom’n
came t’sturgis on th’back ‘f a hog –
victims ‘f alcohol
(7-15








hundreds ‘f thousands ‘f men
love their harleys ‘n’ their beer – she’s
‘cross from th’broken spoke
(7-15)









domestic vi’lence –
sturgis, ‘n august, far from home,
it’s just violence
(7-15)







fury ‘n’ th’pine ridge dust –
they’d rather stay in th’car, its trunk
still holds all their guns
(8-16)






shade of moving van,
parched grass crackles at his touch -
"yonder's wounded knee"
(8-12)










"blew up this mountain
t'have something for license plates"...
warm wind, lincoln's gaze
(5-10)









steady wind from west
prairie grasses gone to seed
buffalo road sign
(8-05)








august near custer –
he still looks for crazy horse,
wife looks in th’mirror
(2-16)






a town called igloo
was on this weed patch - but the
white man ran us out
(8-05)





fall river county
back road – prairie goes to seed,
out there, th’town ‘f igloo
(3-17)





first frost, ruins ‘f igloo –
took th’sioux land, he says, used these huts
t’store th’ammunition
(3-17)




 

old vet stops ‘t th’sky ranch,
remembers all th’kids th’place saved –
there’s frost on th’stables
(10-17)






eagle soars, pulls him
up into th'shorter days - river
pulls him back t'yankton
(10-14)






rushmore empties out,
rock holds slowly changing trees -
how sacred, this place!
(11-13)








gettysburg to th’west –
stops t’watch th’leaves change, th’quiet town
goes by th’name of faith
(12-15)








last leaves fall on th’road,
prairie’s wide ‘n’ lonely – she tells
why they called th’town ‘faith’
(3-17)






souls’ day in sturgis –
th’cross country biker stops f’r th’beer
just t’pay his respects
(11-16)







vermillion exit,
sunrise glows on backpack frame -
hopes for turkey fade
(10-14)








vermillion exit –
even th’grasses’ve changed color,
but th’sunrise steals th’show
(11-16)






first frost at rushmore –
th’sioux asks if it qualifies
as th’graven image
(11-16)





five thousand barrels
‘f crude – first snows ‘n th’amherst prairie
‘n’ he says, plumbing leaks
(11-17)





aberdeen farmer,
back from the war that christmas,
never wanted to leave
(10-14)








new year ‘t th’wall diner –
cross country trip got waylaid,
they ask ‘bout movies
(3-17)





countdown ‘t th’wall saloon –
stopped on his way cross country,
now they took his keys
(12-17)





-->
aberdeen prairie –
new year blizzard, ‘n’ he’s alone
with his memories
(1-18)






hoping th’sioux ‘n’ th’white guy
resolve th’problem with th’snowplow,
he keeps th’guns in th’trunk
(10-17)


-->

all saints snowplow man,
sunday morning – don’t tell him
how to do his job
(1-18)

back roads ‘f watertown,
lost th’kid – th’crime, not taking ice
seriously enough
(5-17)







back roads ‘f watertown –
th’kid smashed th’power box ‘n th’ice storm
‘n’ he’ll never forget
(7-17)






courthouse ‘t buffalo –
blizzard pounds th’town, ‘n’ th’travelers
decide t’get married
(10-17)








search harding county
for coyotes, fly over'm, pop'm -
snow's our best ally
(1-12)








snow ‘n harding county,
used t’ th’slipp’ry roads, ‘n’ ‘t’s easier
t’find and kill th’coyotes
(11-16)






wall diner ashtray's
last stub smolders, bad coffee-
icy onramp looms
(1-07)








nature calls, 'n' he stops -
th'needles, th'badlands, orion,
'n' millions of his friends
(11-14)





ice over th’rapids –
sioux falls lass glad t’see th’last ‘f it
move on out of sight
(2-18)

-->

near yankton, th’eagle –
graceful arch o’er th’thawing plains
which, he figures, are his
(2-18)





they stole th’town ‘f igloo –
th’ruins sit ‘n th’blooming prairie,
‘n’ th’mem’ry’s forever
(12-17)







truck ‘f guys ‘n camos –
going t’sand lake t’hunt th’snow goose,
hoping th’decoys work
(2-16)







sand lake hunters’ tale –
stayed up all night, couldn’t tell
th’snow geese from th’decoys
(11-16)





joy ‘n’ th’first daffodils,
big sioux ‘n’ th’highway – they mean th’same
even in th’wild west
(3-17)






dandelion adrift -
sioux falls schoolgirl takes deep breath,
only wants t'get out
(11-14)





t’ th’sioux falls drama queen,
anywhere’s better than here –
she blows th’dandelion seeds
(11-16)







blows th’dand’lion seeds –
sioux falls lass throws th’little stem
in th’gurgling river
(10-17)



 


ready f’r th’high school prom –
spearfish lass poses by th’barn
where th’wildflow’rs’re blooming
(12-17)







mondragon daff’dils –
th’spearfish lass already has
th’best ‘f life in this world
(1-18)








shadows ‘f mount rushmore –
from th’telephoto lens, he knows
that’s where th’green stuff grows
(3-17)


e pluribus haiku