Swerve
The wildlife of the Northern Plains
are committing suicide in front of our cars
East Wyoming
Big white-tail buck
a triple-knock tango down the length of the pickup
two blind kicks in the spell of my high beams
Black Hills
Tiny V-wing sparrow
suctioned under the chassis, drop-kicked out the back
arcing the white stripe in a tennis ball of feathers
South Dakota
Silver dollar frogs
flipping like leaves on the black rain asphalt
death in a whisper on
the steady whine of wind
We stop for gas in Sioux Falls
still-eyed, faint
charting the guacamole constellations on our fenders
shaking our heads
drinking our coffee, driving on
A day later in La Crosse
vegetarian pizza, and root beers
we look at each other and
burst out laughing
First printed in Plainsongs
(Hastings, Nebraska)
From the collection Great Showtunes of the American Stage
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