Between Shifts
Twilight, gray snow weeping
Down the livid sky
Rusted pickups, belching steam vents
Bloodshot furtive eyes.
Drunk at dawn
Beside the shallow river
Blackout just ahead
Cold air and dread for breakfast
Someone’s dog just newly dead
Listless poker at the legion
Played with a dog eared deck
Each falling card a snowflake
In a blizzard of regret.
The mountains wait in silence
The shaman chants in vain
Flowers wilt upon the casket
A demon peers from the orange flame.
This poem is about:
Me
My community
Our world