King of the Road
naked as death
begging on the highway
I calibrate the instrument
of my breastplate to lead me
back to you
I never once saw a dog chase a bone
but I never knew a dog that wasn’t
so sick it couldn’t get up
I never knew someone as lonely as me
then I was born
Palida Luna
whenever I leave on a trip
I sit down
with my ghost and say
I’m going out
you stay here
by this time tomorrow I intend to be standing
on a tall rock holding hands
with Lydia Mendoza
but until then
I’ll settle
for this dream behind the wheel
where I’m walking to the top
of the burial mound in South Charleston
West Virginia
across from Suzi’s
Drive In under a moon
close and calm
as a nurse’s hand
toward my grandfather
last thing he ever said to me was
you’re gonna make me cry
and I did
Fools
their graves were made out of sheet metal
while the answer was in front of them the whole time
just hang on a little longer it gets
easier
from here
I promise
