Missouri into Arkansas.
Mississippi ten miles,
no, a quarter-mile,
no, five miles to the left,
west, running south,
muddy and high,
even if today’s light rain
doesn’t tell the story
of yesterday’s deluge.
Every other farm field
underwater. Telephone poles
at sea, their nearest shoreline
the interstate. Bridge pothole
five inches deep
wearing water as camo
rattles teeth at 70 mph, swallows
tire, spits it right back out,
just in time to look down
at stream passing two feet
below the bridge. Clever marketing,
Five Star Truck Wash
billboard in flooded field.
Leave the farms behind
to cross the muddy river
into Memphis, a dry land
respite that doesn’t tell the story
of the new wetlands that surround it.
Sikeston to Memphis by Ken Gierke | Sandalwood Poetry Reed Diffuser
Ken Gierke is a Missouri poet who writes primarily in free verse and haiku. His poetry has appeared in numerous print anthologies and online journals, and he has three published poetry collections, the most recent being Random Riffs.
