I was awake
thinking
of the death of my father
halfway across the country
in dusty Colorado
that night of disbelief
like this one
after I told him everything
was ok
and the phone call
from my sister
the words
like a horse and rider
crossing the high window
of the Rockies
where there was no rain
that year
and the creek beds were dry
and the mines played out
and the bars were closed
hours ago
like my heart
East of the Mississippi
—
John Stupp is the author of the 2007 chapbook The Blue Pacific and the 2015 full-length collection Advice from the Bed of a Friend, both by Main Street Rag. His new book Pawleys Island will be published in 2017 by Finishing Line Press. He lives near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Photo by: Ana Prundaru