2023, Ohio River Valley Literature, poetry, the no-scape, Working Class Literature

Autumn 2023, no. 4

here hear the river
all choppy and viscose
as if at any moment
it will take some semi-shape
maybe something gnu-like with fins
heave itself out of its bed
wharf-side hungry
in search of 5-star tour guide

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2022, Ohio River Valley Literature, poetry, river life, summer, the no-scape, work

the unscripted evolutionary track of night shift river critters

these nights a man might grow
back into a bird into a lizard
some feathered gator
razor teeth sitting waiting
that 2nd eyelid closed
at rest aware

it creeps up sudden-like
doesn’t skitter
no not some wharf possum
more like plodding focused

there is intent oh yes intent
the silent genes kick in
latent DNA manifests

you don’t notice
you’re not a man
you don’t notice
you’re resting
and your eyes are open
like a dog a hawk
a river lizard

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