Cathy Porter

Townes

In the wind, I’ll find a new vision –
walk on blistered feet, crawl when
bones ache. Maybe the cold will freeze
the perfect song; laughter over the
hills, hot coffee on a winter morning.
These buildings are not for the weak –
they toss out ghosts as I walk past,
spit out rotted wood just for laughs --
lost chords and notes stuck behind
pictures on plastered walls. I’ll be
the legend you’ve never heard of;
the drink you keep on the nightstand
for emergencies. I fill my lungs with
smoke; lie to get the pills. There’s
morning over the valley, and women
I’ve left behind – all in the best of
intentions; all for the sake of the song.

Cathy Porter’s poetry has appeared in Plainsongs, Homestead Review, Green Hills Literary Lantern, California Quarterly, and various other journals. She has two chapbooks available from Finishing Line Press: Dust And Angels and A Life In The Day. Her poem Clocked In was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She lives in Omaha, NE and can be reached at clcon@q.com