Vox Populi
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Jason Baldinger: a howard johnson’s prayer
nothing has a right being this beautiful
in the mighty exhale
of crossing the heartland again
the chill that saturates
post labor day
the sun already a victim
but there are no stars
in this fenced pool
parking lot watering hole
with logos looming
and billboards crowing
and traffic blowing past
headlights through honeycomb
and the interstate close enough
to hear it whinny at the horizon
another outlaw moment
flat earth and flood plain
250 miles and 25 mg stoned
waiting on the corn stalks
to colonize these temples
cold blue water steals
as it reinforces this essence
I float on dreams that stretch
middle mississippi to machu picchu
I float a black and white dream
memories of dark sky meditations
Copyright 2023 Jason Baldinger
Jason Baldinger is a poet and photographer from Pittsburgh, PA. He is the co-editor of Trailer Park Quarterly and co-runs The Odd-Month Reading Series. His books include A History of Backroads Misplaced: Selected Poems 2010-2020 (Kung Fu Treachery, 2021).
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And ever the lover of poetry’s song, “billboards crowing
and traffic blowing” catches me up in the dance
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Yes, I love the music and free association of this poem.
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I love this one, especially the cadence in:
“but there are no stars
in this fenced pool
parking lot watering hole
with logos looming
and billboards crowing
and traffic blowing past”!
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Yes, I’ve loved Jason’s poems for a long time.
>
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Love it!
“another outlaw moment
flat earth and flood plain
250 miles and 25 mg stoned
waiting on the corn stalks
to colonize these temples”
AMEN! & BURP!
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