Month: November 2018

Wishful thinking (Free Verse)

 

I sit as I wait

I stand as I listen

I lay as I think

The mourning dove cries

As the cold wind flies

The old man cries

The grass is damp

As I lay and I think

 

Tension (Tanka)

When they walk throughout

They cannot see where they are

But instead feel it

They feel it throughout their bones

And even throughout their souls

 

The Cold Earth (Haiku)

 

The earth cold and dark

Takes me in its twisted arms

I am no longer

 

 The Mckenzie Drive

I shut my door hard as I start my truck. The engine of my 1989 Toyota truck rumbles. I look behind me, to back into the street, but I am quickly reminded that the bed of my truck is completely filled with camping gear. I smile and begin to play music. I select, Pacific Northwest ‘73 – ‘74: Believe It If You Need It by The Grateful Dead. “Wake now discover that you are the song that the mornin’ brings, but the heart has its seasons, it’s evenin’s and songs of its own.” Blares from my speakers as I rumble down the Mckenzie highway, close behind my best friend.

Forty-five miles up the Mckenzie highway we decide to stop at Koosah Falls. It’s late June and Koosah Falls is a commonplace among tourists, so I expect there to be quite a few people. We head up a small trail that leads to the top of the waterfall. The sun shines through the trees creating a unique glow throughout the falls. People are sprawled out around the falls, but it’s so beautiful that the crying baby and the stressed-out mom yelling at her kids don’t bother me. The warm sunny afternoon suddenly turns windy. Large droplets of rain begin to fall, I watch them slowly become apart of the waterfall. I smile as the sun peers through a crack in the clouds. “Only in Oregon,” I think to myself.

“Let’s hit the road before we get to wet!” yells my friend Uriah. We all look at each other and agree in unison. The rain slowly falls down my cold skin.

As we drive in search of a campsite, the rain gets harder and the clouds get darker. Heavy rain hits my windshield testing my outdated windshield wipers. I fly down the highway with low visibility. Usually, I’d feel uneasy about this situation, but a sense of confidence looms over me. A sign for Paradise campground catches my eye.

“Should we stop?” I ask

“Might as well” responds my friend Travis. I pull in and slowly drive around the gravel road. I drive a full loop around the campsite only to see tents, and California license plates. In denial, I take another loop around the campsite, but there are still no open sites. The rest of my friends are waiting just outside the campground. When I find them I let them know there are no available spots. We decide to visit Belknap hot springs in hope of discovering an open campground. An employee at the front desk informs us of an RV and tent campground just up the road.

“Won’t hurt to try?” I tell them.

After driving for about fifteen minutes we see a big white sign that says, RV Park and Camping hesitantly we pull in. I drive around the campground searching for an open spot. All I can see is large Ford pickup trucks, and pop up tents. I begin to notice the strange looks that we are receiving as we maneuver throughout the camp, “What’s the issue?” I think to myself. We continue on with no luck. As we begin to leave I see a side road towards the back of the campground.

“Let’s see what’s back there!” I tell the others. I drive through branches and over rocks in hope of finding some sort of a reliable area. The branches suddenly clear as I see a large opening. I see Levels of smooth rock under a large oak tree providing a perfect camp spot. I quickly jump out of my truck and yell, “yes!” My mind is filled with clarity and excitement, I yell out to the others,

“This is it! This is the one!” They all jump out of the car and begin to unpack the gear. As we begin to set up camp I hear a loud motor. I look up to see two large men riding on a four-wheeler. “Hello” I say

“What do you think yall are doing?” One of the men responds.

“Just setting up camp for the night, is that alright?” I ask. I look to see a pistol on both of the mens waistbands. A strange feeling begins in my stomach. The men gaze upon me and my friends. I watch them as their eyes fall on my friend Liam. Liam is a tall African American with big brown eyes, and a patchy beard.

With hesitation one of the men says, “well I don’t think that’ll be happening.” Instantly my face turns red, and my fists tighten.

“Why’s that?” I ask.

“Well, the camps all full” They both exclaim. I look over at my friends to see there red faces. They seem confused. Everyone is silent as the two men ride away. We look at one another, and I say “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” We pack up all the camping gear and throw it in the bed of my truck. Without saying a word to Travis I begin to drive down the back road. When I reach the entrance of the campground I sit in my truck silently waiting for the others. My friends car pulls up behind me. Two different men emerge from a nearby tent, both with guns on their waistband. They approach my window, so I roll it down slowly.

“Can I help you?” I say

“Yes we need y’all to leave” I look down to see the man’s left hand on the pistol. I look at him and begin to roll up my window. My mind is spinning as I think of ways to handle this feeling. I turn the truck on, and push in the clutch. “Fuck it” I say. I leave my foot on the clutch and shift the transmission into first. I slam on the gas leaving the clutch in. My truck roars and the tires begin to spin. The gravel underneath creates a large cloud of smoke behind me I release the clutch and fly forward. Three gunshots follow as I gas it. I hit the road with my foot still on the gas. I grab the steering wheel with one hand and look at my arm. The vein in my arm angrily convulses. My mind goes blank.