an adolescent daughter slutting around
showing off her terrible, a pine tree
gone rusty in winter time, sun
seeps under her sweater,
ribbon development and the public
realm opens up to cars
deracinated country folk
could be wooed
by linotype, steam engines, turbines,
two tree trunks grope and bind
when you slice off a piece of crazy tail, he warns me,
know what the fence post knows
you can drive
for an hour south of Charlottesville
watch a skinny girl walk a long road
recently paved, worried about loyalty
tar clings to fence weeds,
unmoored from the nation,
the thickly-accented philosopher explained
we could find hope rich light
on the stable roof
a boy from down the road
who will read you differently
who steps out of the trees responsible
for love, under a system that pays him
no mind no heed no blossoms
yet on the redbud
but space cleared for their coming
— Originally published in Utopia Minus (Ahsahta, 2011)
Leave a Reply