Mesquite Bend: Endings

The Writer

Observers, those who see
beneath the surface but stand
outside of things, the world

made real only on pages
filled with right words, these few
believers find what inspires
in tractors up on cinder blocks

and the musty scent of sand
floating on the ever-present wind.
The gaps between the rose pin Mrs. Penny

wears to church every Sunday
and the ’57 Chevy she drives once
each month, the writer fills

with details gleaned from sunsets
where the clouds turn purple
and ground hog cities more
active than any Mesquite Bend weekday.

The great American novel lies
in moments spent outside the DQ,
propped against the hail-dented hood
of the only car the family owns,

licking ice cream as it dribbles down cones
in the West Texas heat, the waves
of warmth hazy in the midst of friends
you have known since diapers,

those few who are the only ones
to understand the meaning
of a coyote howl on the darkest night,
the stars twinkling in a black sky,
the wind stealing your very breath,
drying your tears.

Ramona Levacy
April 30, 2015

Poet’s Note:  Thus endeth 30 poems in 30 days for 2015.  For those of you more used to seeing my thoughts on Christian living, thanks for your patience as I participated in this April challenge.  My Mesquite Bend was no Spoon River Anthology, but writing about one town in poetry is something I have always wanted to do.  These poem drafts might just be a good place to start on that project at some future date.  Thanks again for reading.  Have a blessed day!  ~ramona