Kelly Shepherd

 Rules of Thumb


If you have no room
if your dog snaps at strangers
if you’re turning at the next set of lights

If you’re late for a wedding
if you tend to confuse hitch-hikers with prostitutes
if you’re planning on making a U-turn
     and heading back the way you came

If you’re drinking and driving
if you’re on your way to the emergency room
if you want someone in the passenger seat
     because the authorities are looking for a lone driver

If you smoke with the windows rolled up
if you have small children in the car
if you’re a cop


You don’t have to stop



Kelly Shepherd‘s fifth poetry chapbook, entitled Fort McMurray Tricksters, was recently published by Vancouver's Alfred Gustav Press. He has a Creative Writing MFA from UBC Okanagan, and is a poetry editor for the environmental philosophy journal The Trumpeter. Kelly lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.




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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!