John Yohe

Nebraska

Nebraska is a long state
and it sure don’t smell good

stop at a rest stop to sleep
what the hell
jump back fence
to the Platte River
better there than my truck cab
though still loud
still close to freeway
how do people have houses this close?
(answer: no choice)

wet smell
something keeps splashing
beavers?
muskrats?
near their home?
no fear from animals though
only humans
only that someone saw my flashlight

“hey you
you can’t sleep there!
you gotta pay fifty bucks for a motel
just like everybody else!”

no sir
no thank you
I’ll watch the stars instead
Orion and Cassiopeia rotating off the north star
not even thinking about the woman
I just broke up with
/ am leaving
/ am moving away from

guess that means I did the right thing


* * * * * * * * *


Sitting naked

Sitting naked
on a boulder
in Monument Valley
body temperature evening downslope winds
keeps the gnats away
west aspect walls still red
in the sun

I’m thirsty
and worried
I didn’t bring enough water
reading Hemingway’s
To Have and Have Not
after seeing the movie recently on video
and falling in love
with Lauren Bacall
as it seems all men must do
at some point in their lives
and despairing
of ever being as good a writer as Papa
as it seems all men must do
at some point in their lives

only five little puff balls in the sky
now
though earlier I saw an anvilhead cloud
north of here
dropping rain on the PJ flats
why didn’t I stop
and dunk my head in the Colorado
when I had the chance?



1 comment:


The views and opinions expressed throughout belong to the individual artists and may or may not coincide with those of the other artists (or editors) represented within the magazine. Hobo Camp Review supports a free-for-all atmosphere of artistic expression, so enjoy the poetry, fiction, opinions, and artwork within, read with an open mind, and comment wisely. Thanks for stopping by the Camp!