At the laundromat, staring off,
Remembering that Mickey Mantle
Wore number seven, bluebirds
Are Missouri’s state bird, Rita Hayworth’s
Cropped blond hair is the reason why
Welles’s The Lady from Shanghai
Fared so poorly at the box office – answers
To the trivia game you lost last night.
On the interstate, blinking off sleep,
Nothing to look at or take in
Because it’s night and towns are few,
Considering the roadside, if that was a tire
Or a clobbered deer, your appetite,
The requirements for a hunting license,
The smell of mown grass at the last rest stop,
Reminding yourself again and again
To bring news to the city that stars
Still exist, if the number of people
Who consider you their enemy
Has changed significantly since you left,
The last time you slept till noon.
Modern Poets Magazine 