Hands at ten & two,
late Miles on Bluetooth,

I’m driving north
where once it rained,

where I rode my old gelding
around the reservation,

visiting the hogans
of my friends.  We’d 

drink coffee & laugh 
at my little orange horse,

his cow hocks, his blaze face
& nasty disposition.

I’m driving north, yes, listening
to Miles play “Yesternow”

& searching for the red-tailed hawk
that’s followed me for days.

1

The one-legged priest cautioned 
my brother & his new bride
if they found themselves talking
about curtains, the thrill was gone.

As far as we knew, his only intimate
was Buddy, the big white poodle
who slept every night beside him
in his four-poster bed.


2

My wife wanted some “fun” grapes.
At the third supermarket, I bought
two pounds of gumdrop grapes,
hoping they’d be fun enough.
Driving home, I listened 
to the blues station playing
“Gee, Baby, Ain’t I Good to You?”