Interstate 65 Revisited

Eating dinner on the veranda
While waiting for Bob Dylan
The server rearranges
Silverware on an empty table
After bringing me a plate of
Fried green tomatoes
She touches my arm lightly
Answering a question as
Smoke from mountain fires
Drifts into the city like
Gauze over the burning sunset
And factories, some
Abandoned. Fade.
On the highway, where
Signs read “no burn zone”
Drought. Of the mind
Creeps in like the haze
Of lost faith.
Lost practice
Misplaced trust, and
Rusted manhole covers
Rattling through
Burnt Orange America

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), with another one on the way (Unopened, poetry, slated for 2019). 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/