04-29-2017, 04:15 AM
Short Story
This highway parallels the railroad tracks,
always parallel in this part of the country.
He drives west as the sun comes up,
the only one on the road. Fields puddle
with standing water from recent rains,
as the ditches become navigable.
But for the red winged black birds,
he should make the border unseen by noon.
Authorities long considered him harmless
for the fact he never carried a gun.
Authorities considered him harmless
despite sightings in the trees at the edge
of the marsh. Funny how fast things change.
How fast blood pressure can spike, then
bottom out, like a pond below the rapids.
This highway parallels the railroad tracks,
always parallel in this part of the country.
He drives west as the sun comes up,
the only one on the road. Fields puddle
with standing water from recent rains,
as the ditches become navigable.
But for the red winged black birds,
he should make the border unseen by noon.
Authorities long considered him harmless
for the fact he never carried a gun.
Authorities considered him harmless
despite sightings in the trees at the edge
of the marsh. Funny how fast things change.
How fast blood pressure can spike, then
bottom out, like a pond below the rapids.