Monday, February 17, 2020

YOKEL ( 19 ) ~








Old Town





When proudly announced at town meeting

Cable television was coming to the area

In the front row one old native raised an arm


Asking,  Does that mean I have to get a TV?






Other





Some animal pawed

A stone out under the

Chicken hut last night —

The animal in me puts it back






City~Boy



Cityboy liked to remind me once or twice

When we were standing out in the road

Talking how he’d like to give it to someone’s

Wife, you know, up the rear end. It was

Funny though because the second time

He told me this she drove by and Cityboy

Just about turned white but still gave me 

A little wink. A sick fuck. It only dawned on

Me later how much younger and how similar

At a glance the woman looked like Cityboy’s 

Wife who he liked to solo away from on the week

Ends and rough it at his country retreat that

I was hired to caretake and carpenter and

Woods clear and over the long winters to

Shovel his long driveway mainly for the gas

Deliveries and his nice car. Of course he was

Forever late on ever paying. I was young and

Stupid then, often worked far too long for these 

Nonsense wages and it would be more than

Once where you could catch me hand shoveling
 
In a snowstorm way past midnight with dear

Sweetheart helping and both of us working

Under the headlights of our VW all so the 

Place would be ready for Cityboy’s arrival. 

You do what you have to do.

So after fifteen years of this and watching this

Joker at work — with pipe and book in town

Thinking he is Hemingway in A Moveable Feast,

Eating at one of the popular cafes where hippie

Girls once smiled at everyone — I walked away.

But first I told him everything

I’m telling you here.






Work Truck






You’ll never get into a clean one —

Even after the weekend or a

Vacation or a holiday the truck

Remains the same — your feet

Rest on top of a big toolbox or

Tools slide out from under

The seat or off the dash or what

Is usually the case —

There’s no room at all

For passengers




______________
Bob Arnold
Yokel
Longhouse
2011