the truth is

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
all honor and glory here, scorn there
until the next time, the next paper,
the next hearing, the next coffee shop 
we know what it is we want to believe -
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

   news from a small town 5, January, 2012

the way home

long dark fox, tall dry grass
sparkling ice, winter blue -

a glance back. then vanished.

   news from a small town 4, January, 2012

even little red knows

Here's what Little Red knows.

Out watching wildlife, the wildlife
just may be eyeing you with equal
interest - maybe to see what kind
of meal tartare you might make,
there among the rocks and trees.

Certainly, you have options.

Feel what it is you feel, freeze
on the spot, run like a wild thing,
ignore everything for the short
term while you still can, or 
walk like a predator, not like prey -

put O D F W on speed dial.

  news from a small town 3, January, 2o12

half sonnet for the swirlies

every first of the year or so, there’s a marathon.
my trash can, your trash can, their trash can
all gather on the street for the race to Union County.
it’s the day for pick up, always coordinated
with the first husky wind out of nowhere.
and don’t forget the prizes for the best run race: a

barely-used tarp or a new lid for the one that got away.

    news from a small town 2, January, 2012

quick freeze

ice grabbed. the new tires dug in but 

the fancy new positraction held the wheels
most firmly in place. bewildered, I press
the spanking new gas pedal - but nothing!
nothing at all takes place. finally, a clever
idea: reverse that sucker. at last, a great
crack, the binding ice breaks free - and
believe it or not, motion commences.
hallelu and all that jazz. we are no longer stuck
in my own drive. and here's the happy ending:
no neighbors were charmed in the course
of this story; and the local paper will never
know or tell. so is this tale true? and now,
on to the final philosophical question: if
a car sticks in a snowstorm and
there’s no one there to push or laugh,  

did it really happen? the ice god in me 

salutes the ice god in you. let's test the brakes.

   news from a small town 1, January, 2012