Kentucky

deep b’neath th’sultry hills,
th’green river’s sounds captivate
th’mammoth cave vis’tor
(1-16)






outside ‘t th’slugger bat,
country folk ask directions –
here f’r th’black lung clinic
(3-17)






rock climbers, the red -
uncommon tongues, but common
single-mindedness
(10-10)





combs parkway ev’ning –
crickets ‘n’ a valley full ‘f stars,
not a car for miles
(6-16)





tangled woods ‘t th’tug fork –
hatfields ‘n’ mccoys are still ‘round,
she says, but int’th’drugs
(2-17)






paducah street fair –
th’old guy’s sure he saw elvis,
why worry ‘bout th’facts?
(2-17)






certain hard spirit -
hates harlan's folk 'n' th'festivals -
'stead'f gas, 's got liquor
(2-14)







up main t’ward th’highway,
his fog ‘f doubt, school ‘r’work, lifted –
th’slugger bat statue!
(5-15)







slugger bat statue –
grandpa describes for th’young ones
th’sound ‘n’ feel ‘f th’real wood ones
(9-17)









doesn’t know th’culture,
or th’summer shows, but knows
he’s six miles from louisville
(1-17)








go back to l'u'ville,
locals drink 'n' shoot crackers, and
don't care f'r city folk
(1-07)






paducah street fair
elvis impersonator
even has jeweled belt!
(7-05)








just north of campbell,
a nap too restless, a field
'f roadside tobacco
(12-09)






paintsville t’prestonburg –
th’art ‘f living on mountain corn,
and th’fine ear f’r music
(3-17)






absolutely lost,
paris streets, background colors,
the leaf hesitates
(10-10)






th’u-pike’s got th’people,
he says – mines have all shut down,
‘n’ th’kids went back to school
(11-17)






paint lick hooligans -
halloween mischief, saved for
those who might be gay
(2-14)







holler kids ‘n b’rea –
‘bout t’kill th’students with costumes
‘f improper gender
(1-17)







wood smoke fills th’hollow
near hazard – hungry so long,
forgot how t’treat th’guest
(3-17)








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nother school shooting –
kentucky kids, mad’s ever,
now they’re armed t’ th’teeth
(1-18)






holler fog, wood smoke,
fiddle, banjo, dulcimer -
pike county saints day
(2-14)





through th’cumberland gap -
hollows’re too cold t’camp, too much
mountain, not ‘nough sun
(1-17)






lou'v'lle traffic slows,
icy roads unusual
before thanksgiving
(9-08)





hazard county fog,
coal comp'nies, workers' accounts -
woodstove's acrid sting
(10-10)






cloverleaf ‘n’ th’river,
southbound ‘t louisville – th’lights,
th’chill, th’traffic, th’freedom
(3-17)






embers ‘n th’woodstove –
‘round harlan, nothing replaced
their faith ‘n dirty coal
(9-17)






ice, english exit –
going t’mom’s in ohio,
she’s a bit on edge
(3-16)





icy roads ‘f english –
their big feuds ‘t th’dinner table,
‘n’ th’steep roads back t’ th’city
(11-17)





english exit tale –
this kind’f ice, even th’best ‘f us
have trouble stopping
(1-17)



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ice ‘t th’river bottoms –
said his home was in heaven,
th’press thinks he’s guilty(12-17)






cali to murray,
car dead, she reckons with gap,
frosted cables spark
(8-11)









her car’s jumped ‘n’ running
but it’s cold ‘n murray, ‘n’ th’lass feels
oh so far from home
(10-16)






cross th’bridge to lou’ville –
out ‘f th’northern winter, he says,
‘n’ his shoulders relax
(6-16)







glazed ice, knox entrance -
'lost it all,' he says, 'th'day they
went off the gold standard'
(2-14)





up through cumberland,
keeps her balance ‘n’ composure
‘n th’icy mountain roads
(9-17)







through cumberland gap,
winter’s fog ‘n’ ice – somewhere ‘n here,
hank died ‘n th’cadillac
(2-17)






old scot in the boone:
name 'cumberland' chills our bones -
hot stick, winter fire
(10-10)








orion and friends,
mountain air on combs parkway -
utter lack of cars
(10-10)








across river bridge
to louisville - northern march
in rearview mirror
(10-05)







three years, lex waitress,
still not a fan of th'irish, 'r
wildcat basketball
(10-14)







wildcat basketball –
lex waitress feels, too much fuss
over th’ball in th’hoop
(10-16)







they watch for th’brackets –
lex waitress hates th’march madness,
there’s always lots ‘f fights
(3-18)






bar telly ‘n lim’rick –
city that cares so much ‘bout
card’nal basketball
(3-17)

saint pats ‘n limerick –
so much beer, how’d he see th’foul
against th’cardinals?
(11-17)





near campbell, th’old vet
naps ‘n’ dreams ‘f his days ‘n nam, wakes
‘n th’blooming t’bacco field
(1-16)






paducah gard’ner –
no tol’rance for certain plants,
or mixed-race friendship
(6-17)


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spring downpour ‘n’ mudslides –
past dead timber road somewhere,
th’town ‘f california
(12-17)







ohio’s rising –
most ‘f th’time, y’look ‘t th’sleepy north bank,
sometimes, y’just get scared
(11-17)






came for th’quilt fest’val,
she knows paducah, ‘n’ she knows
bowties ‘n’ log cabins
(5-15)







bowties at th’quilt fest –
th’post-modern impressionist
view of tradition
(8-17)








lower town tourists –
he likes th’fest’val quilts, she likes
th’patches in his jeans
(5-15)






th’quilt festival shows off
th’home arts – but she’s far from hers,
‘n’ he doesn’t have one
(5-15)








by th’wall ‘n paducah,
‘s spring, but th’mighty ohio
‘s about t’meet its match
(10-16)





log cabins ‘n’ bowties –
quilt festival lass knows how t’sew
hist’ry into art
(1-17)




came for the derby,
liked iced tea, local accents -
hers especially
(9-08)


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too much ‘f th’mint julep –
flowers even in his hat,
but bet on th’wrong horse
(1-18)






roses ‘t each table –
grows ‘em ‘n’ fusses over’m,
only one derby
(1-18)







berea scholar –
th’possum, flushed out by th’spring rain
still makes him nervous
(3-18)






ashland lass’ garden –
hummingbird goes f’r th’bright red one
called th’royal catchfly
(2-16)






hummingbirds hover –
‘n th’ashland lass’ garden, th’sun’s
hit th’royal catchfly
(1-17)





t’cave-in-rock, th’ferry,
in th’june fog – stories ‘f intrigue,
she has old ‘n’ new both
(10-17)



e pluribus haiku