Election Day

signs signs everywhere it’s signs
red white and blue predominantly the colors of the day
stars and american flags aplenty - election day is here
vote early and often is the that joke that goes around here
the mayor gets 90% of the dead vote ha-ha
free donuts for poll workers in there
mostly senior citizens who probably voted for william howard taft at one time friends of politicians
wearing their lucky tie among their superstitions
they’ll be free pizza later
standing in line with the neighbors
I don’t talk even talk to or even know
turnout heavy - they’ve run out of the little ‘I voted’ stickers
with that, I should just go home and drink
a lot of voting places used to be in elementary schools
until we scared ourselves out of it -
all of us are potential kidnappers ya know
now it’s libraries and community centers
wish I’d filled out an absentee ballot
finally my turn...show i.d.// woman taking a long look
must be new here
looking at the ballot
a few names recognizable most not
who should I vote for
here’s somebody named gloria
I once knew a girl in high school named gloria - she was nasty
so that’s a well informed no vote for that candidate
throw all the judges out, they’ve locked up a lot of my friends
guy who was county treasurer then died
his wife became county treasurer then died
now their daughter running for treasurer
uh no, that’s enough
any socialists/communists running?
there’s too many choices
it was easier in the old country
only one choice, better make sure you fill it out too
or you might disappear the next day
at least you had peace of mind knowing who was going to win

The Lost Mine

sidetracked but not bushwhacked - lost your way
lost your way but found yourself

superstitious mountains and their long ancient...uh, superstitions

mysteries casting their spells upon you - beckoning you

so you go off-road through the cold barren desert twilight 

at first light hiking to your fixed destiny in the shifting sands

under indifferent stars watercolored on the pale sky

turn around in every direction and it all looks the same

mounds and ridges of dunes - cactus - undistinguished brown brush

scorpions and sandstorms, hostile winter weather

it can get mighty cold in the desert at night

maybe a mountain lion stalk you 

maybe you slipped off a ledge - went over the edge

while you looked for lost gold nobody’s found

treasure that may or may not even be there

tumbling down down down

down to the brown unforgiving ground with nary a sound

to a part of the earth that hides you 

now you lost to the world 

far away from where the flash floods flow

but one day years away...maybe they find your bones

in a crevice tucked away...off the beaten trail

but you went where you wanted to go 

died doing what you liked to do, who should judge you 

it’s not so bad really 

better there than dying in some office

or having a coronary carrying somebody’s suitcase

nobody knows for sure what happened 

you became yet another mystery of the mountains

Hungry Horse

hungry horse the 406 in 59919
dive into the icee blue lakes crystal clear

i see a spotted bear and i haven’t been drinkin’////yet -

elkhorn grill have a bite

sloppy joe ground buffalo ya know

a side of mountain lion fries

i’m under a kalispell

esoteric mountain power in control

buffalo hill golf club vintage 1918

“the 12:17 tee time presenting from jersey ted ray”

the 1920 u.s. open golf champion

hungry horse reservoir 

glacier national chinese wall

53.5 miles or something like that

continental divide trail below

flathead deer lodge anaconda

flatland above the lake

whitefish mountain - blacktail mountain

backpack/tent all that’s needed

lost in the forest green

suffocating under the clouds that weigh heavy on me

food water knife montana rifle not a hawken though 

lewis and clark era map useless but looks good

don’t need no damned compass

I’ll ask a bear for directions if I get lost

grizzlys snow their way around

snow in the air - snow in my hair

goin’ wild in the wildness of the wilderness