Arkansas

by th’creek, th’old folk songs –
you could live in mountain home,
‘n’ hear th’dulcimer all th’time
(2-16)





crystal bridges ‘n th’heat –
come t’plan th’warhol exhibit,
‘n’ which wall for th’soup can
(12-17)





nine years ago t’day,
th’rainbow camped on th’buff’lo – th’kid
was conceived up there
(3-16)







that kind ‘f nakedness,
ozark folks don’t like – tells ‘f th’year
th’rainbows came for th’fourth
(9-16)






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





steamy little rock –
so pretty ‘n’ self absorbed,
milepost on th’big road
(3-17)









jonesboro preacher –
iced tea, ‘n’ great pains t’justify
p’litical beliefs
(4-18)








shot up th’rap concert –
guy ‘n th’straw hat says little rock
just as bad as th’rest
(7-17)






little rock at its
steamy worst – she asks him why
it’s so hard t’get work
(9-16)








devil's den campfire,
southern grace 'n' charm, refuge from
th'northern experience
(11-14)








devil’s den campfire
debate – call ourselves arkies
‘cause that’s who we are
(9-16)






couple ‘n th’motor home,
morning picnic, road t’hot springs –
they, too, have retired
(3-17)






campers ‘n th’ouachita -
th’north’s so rude, they do bus’ness
b’fore they say hello
(3-17)





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)





imprisoned ‘n jerome –
brought th’nisei t’this steamy camp
‘n’ questioned their loy’lty
(2-16)






heat ‘n’ humidity –
place like jerome’s bad enough
'thout th’imprisonment
(10-17)






little rock motel –
th’roaches, th’bedbugs, th’guy by th’pool
just happen t’live here
(10-17)







th’old banjo picker
come t’ th’ dulc’mer fest from malvern,
steps on th’fiddler’s toes
(3-17)





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





 

f’etteville coffee shop –
refugees from th’high-rent states,
flannel ‘n’ th’time t’do crafts
(3-17)





through conway westbound –
th’splashes ‘f leaves turning color,
be gone soon enough
(3-17)

eureka’s leaves turn –
victorians ‘n’ steep cliffs, th’skater’s
sure he’s immortal
(10-16)








hog fans – determined
t’not let those drunken texans
intimidate ‘em
(2-16)






hog fans in th’pickup –
just as serious ‘bout hard drinking
as about football
(3-17)






pickup truck ‘f hog fans,
don’t be swerving ‘n th’mountain roads –
siren lights on th’ridge
(10-17)






little rock train yard –
tales ‘f th’sunshine, th’western canyons,
goodbye t’these leaves ‘n’ trees
(2-16)





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









farmer’s market day,
truckload ‘f pumpkins ‘n th’winding roads –
rough ride t’fayetteville
(10-17)



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his shack, too cold t’show –
proud ‘f arkadelphia, he shows
magnolia manor
(12-17)









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




light snow ‘n little rock –
th’bell rings ‘cross th’playground – how plain
a day ‘n school can be
(3-17)





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post office lass ‘n hope –
used t’love th’feeling ‘f th’christmas cards
says now ‘t’s all online
(2-18)





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)







his girlfriend, drunk too,
stares ‘t th’texarkana park bench –
he died in th’cold spell
(12-17)








glazed ice ‘n bentonville –
not much ‘f an economy,
th’hiker’s not helping
(3-17)





ice storm, th’amtrak line –
in th’card game, deck ‘f presidents,
choice words f’r th’man from hope
(7-17)





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 waitress mops th’floor –
in th’street, someone shouts th’countdown,
she just wants to close
(1-16)







off ‘n th’distance, gunshots –
th’hope waitress fills th’salt shakers,
can’t bear ‘nother year
(10-16)






alma turnoff choice –
ride up north a ways, out ‘f th’cold,
he’s been drinkin’ some
(2-16)







rank smell ‘f hard liquor –
th’cold alma turnoff, frostbite,
‘n’ th’quick d’cision t’be made
(4-17)






jonesboro preacher –
strong feeling ‘bout th’human soul,
short ride, icy road
(10-16)








hope bridesmaid's complaint -
church door's stuck, spring rains starting -
it takes a good yank
(2-10)







west memphis bluesman –
from th’city ‘n’ th’swollen river,
draws inspiration
(1-16)







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)







proud ‘f th’two-car garage,
soaked by th’march rains, ‘n’ haunted by
th’jonesboro ‘f her youth
(12-17)









thirty ‘n’ th’arkansas,
peepers ‘n th’lowland marshes,
sun’s up – west t’ th’canyons
(10-17)







ozark fiddler’s smirk,
f’etteville magnolia’s fragrance –
she feels right at home
(1-16)








haiku day flowers –
woke up under th’conway bridge,
‘n’ he’d kind of lost track
(4-18)






rememb’ring jerome
and th’internment – even now,
springtimes are bitter
(9-16)






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








back ‘n th’ozarks, th’trailer –
easy t’heat, ‘n’ eat grits ‘n’ varmints,
spring breaks, ‘n’ back on th’road
(4-18)
 
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kicked out of cuba,
small pawn ‘n th’big game – but now, trees
bloom ‘t th’ozark exit
(9-16)









hazen exit woods
rotting cabin, rest f’r th’hiker –
th’mice’re having babies
(10-16)







cabin in th’ozarks –
th’floor’s turned t’earth, ‘n’ in th’spring drizzle,
th’birds have come for th’worms
(3-17)





near texarkana,
arm’dillo ‘n th’spring flood, drunk ‘n th’park
picked th’same day to die
(1-17)





comes t’crystal bridges
f’r th’ warhol, she comes f’r a wedding –
coneflow’rs bloom ‘n glory
(6-15)






th’fine art ‘f bentonville,
th’blooming flow’rs come from walmart –
is that a problem?
(6-15)







they ask her ‘bout th’flow’rs,
th’bouquets, not th’ozark wildflow’rs –
th’wedding, ‘t seems, is hers
(6-15)







th’bride ‘t crystal bridges
walks past th’marilyns ‘n th’hallway –
so pretty, th’coneflow’rs
(6-17)




bed ‘f ozark coneflow’rs,
th’soft purple, th’forest, ‘n’ coffee –
then, th’western prairies
(10-16)



e pluribus haiku