"Cedar Fork"

2009

Like a searchlight, summer
sun on the town disgrace:
its open gash of sewer,

Cedar Fork creek, had to be
going to a somewhere else
and we had to find it.

Do cow pads lead to Cythera?
Trekking only led to thirst.
Immense, the afternoon

dropped its weight on us
as flies drank off our sweat
and jokes fell flat.

Until the somewhere else
called out to us from its
watery bed, and we knew

that Cythera was not far.
Our creek, flowing with its own
music, would keep its oceanic

rendez-vous, proud to ferry
the town’s disgrace out to
sea, immaculate. 

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