Once the war ended,
there wasn’t anything else to do
except play the horses
and hoist a few pints
at Tinhorn Flats
where the sticky surface
of no-pest strips
hanging behind the bar
are caked with flies
Waiting on long shot lives
to come in,
those who take themselves
far too seriously
rarely reap rewards
and tenacious is their resolve
to never stray far
from embedded roots
When factories pack up
for alternative lodging
just like a circus tent,
the sales of cigarettes
and grain alcohol increase
while matrimony collapses
under the strain of a bleak future
Crumbling down inside,
pinball wizards and gallery queens
litter the boardwalk
every Saturday night
until verbal fisticuffs
lead to race riots
If there was a casting call
for those who are afraid
to succeed at all costs,
the entire population of Joplin
might just show up
Michael N. Thompson is the result of a debauched threesome between Neal Cassady, Anne Sexton and Darby Crash. His poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals including The Montucky Review, Word Riot, Toronto Quarterly, Lummox Press and The Hobo Camp Review. He is the author of four poetry collections, the most recent being Verbal Alchemy (Blunt Trauma Press, 2012) and the forthcoming A Murder Of Crows (University Of Hell Press, 2014). Michael lives among the pastures and pines in Northern California. He doesn’t care much for meter and rhyme. His website is www.michaelnthompson.com
