Monument Valley

Heading south on 191
Cars slip away like magic
As we head closer to the reservation
As if a 40 percent poverty rate might
Stick to the skin like a bad rash
Instead of an opportunity to serve
Another point of view

Purple sage, rich red sand, black
Apache tears under vast white clouds
Dropped onto an eggshell blue sky,
Cracked backdrop of spiritual enlightenment
Crass commercialism and cinematic dreams
John Wayne’s ghost battling with
A simpler way of life

Raised in Chicago and residing in Nashville, Doug Hoekstra’s short stories, essays, and poems have appeared in numerous literary journals.  He has two book-length collections to his name The Tenth Inning (2015) and  Bothering the Coffee Drinkers (2007 Independent Publisher Award finalist) and as a singer-songwriter, released eight CDS on U.S. and European labels, touring extensively throughout the US and Europe In support.    https://doughoekstra.wordpress.com/