The poem I need to write

Will have horses,
wild ones.
No one can touch them.
But you will ride them around the pond at midnight.
The poem I need to write is a scuffed boot
a flashlight, a circus leaving town
only sawdust remaining.
The poem I need to write is a sign
off the highway in Henrietta, Oklahoma.
It reads Hungry Traveler Restaurant.
No restaurant to be found.
The poem I need to write plays Erik Satie
on a rubber chicken, drinks
the last glass of wine in the bottle.
The poem I need to write is the amplified
spooling of desire, hooves beating
outrunning the bite of sorrow
speeding towards horizon.
The poem I need to write has equal parts
bliss and nonsense running in its veins,
knows what it is like to lose your vision.
The poem I need to write is rain falling
through sunshine.  Purple storm clouds
in the distance. Red mud tracks
on your white carpet. It is a living season.
The poem I need to write says
it is a long way home in the dark.
It will never be enough.

 

 

Julia McConnell is a poet and a librarian. Her chapbook, Against the Blue, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2016.  Her work has appeared in THIS LAND, All Roads Will Lead You Home, Blood and Thunder, Oklahoma Poems… and Their Poets, and many anthologies. Originally from Oklahoma, Julia lives in Seattle with her Jack Russell Terrier, Molly Marlova Magdalena McConnell.