Precontact
Our sky is incense
Pause beneath our nation’s smoke
River of the West
~~
1792
Broughton, his canon,
Facing copper swords and clubs.
Warrior Rock truce
~~
1804
From upstream on foot
Men, one black; teen, infant, dog -
Corps of Discovery
~~
Curious welcome.
Chief wore a naval dress coat,
Brass buttons stood proud.
~~
Trade for otter robe.
Peace Medal given in trust.
Pox and flu hovered…
~~
1832 - 2019
In long winter’s shade
The quiet of death still hangs hard
On Cathlapotle.
~~
2020
Smoke from 1000 lodges
Made your blankets Mother Earth.
Casino lights chill.
Nov 17, 2025
Nov 17, 2025 at 9:57 PM UTC
I drive the night because of open road.
My retreads are sounding strong.
Hauling cars up from New Orleans
Where I'm not sure that I belonged.
Traded whiskey for a woman
At a bar in Abilene.
Then a long haul up to Portland town
Helped along by methadrine.
There’s a lady there in Stumptown
She dances on the pole
Makes her pay in dollar bills
She's never ever home
Daylight fades and night descends
Men come, await their fate.
She ***** them dry and infects their soul,
Relights her lamp and waits…
She goes to church on Sunday.
Always comes in late.
She says a prayer, she sheds a tear,
puts food stamps in the plate.
Dropped my load down at the docks
there's a motel by the sea.
Homebase for my Peterbilt
That's parked out by the tree
Called her up, the kids are home.
I hear them laughining on the phone.
Grandma says she"s not around,
But she'll tell her I'm in town.
“Yea. tell her I'm in town again
And kiss the kids for me,
Gotta leave on Tuesday”.
Hung up and fell asleep.
The phone rang in the morning.
The call was short and sweet.
She had some things she had to do,
Didn’t think that we could meet.
Fueling up, the fog horns moan.
Red pills to feed the beast.
A woman left back in the fog.
A white line headed east.
Look at my life
Some say I've sinned.
My dreams were blown away
By the cruel ...
Highway Wind.
Oct 2, 2025
Oct 2, 2025 at 4:31 PM UTC