going 15 on 174
flat,flat
it’s the moon
wondering when is a
road just a road & you
stop seeing grand coulee
suddenly in everett on
I-5 rush hour plane
traffic & people heading
home from jobs
at schools, all cranky
& it’s 100 degrees in
august in central washington
but worth it, so it’s a
drive & drink the view
going to work, fall 2020
when driving that wayI think
I don’t like graded roads
dust rising behind
15 miles is fast, layers
ravens gather along
in pairs, pointing at
cut hay, golden, pretend
the horizon line so sharp
cuts off the river, the lake
the white bird w/long
slim neck looking
like a bleached egret,
the cattails hanging
out in places they didn’t
know were theirs
the highway doing her
workout, rubberbanding
the sky can’t be trimmed,
suspends blue & alabaster
above gold, gold, gold
there was a deer once, also in the grapes
in the yard I help to water no one livesbirds take refuge in grape leaves
the lilac is fenced in the corner, half-alive
snakes, like birds
hide
if you let water soak in for an hour, birds show
sit on the fence,
go to their houses
underbrush paths are broken, golden, powdered
there is an upside-down fishing boat,
a sm cinderblock cottage, w/its own
portals stacked inside
& if the grass is fresh cut, it smells like fresh hay, draws honey bees, sprinklers set on their own
don’t reach the peach
tree, it might be a lovely vacation house, a cabin, an idea of open doors & pathways, of what
heaven looks like, a birdbath w/ rock walks, apricot trees, hazelnuts, almond
Constance Bacchus currently lives with her daughter in the Columbia Basin of Washington state. Last year she worked for the census during wildfire season and this year she is in the library. Her poetry can be found in various literary journals including Feral, Selcouth Station, Cirque Journal, Dreich Broad Review, Permafrost Journal, Blue River Review and Salmon Creek Journal. Her newest book is divorcing flowers (Alien Buddha Press, 2021) although she does have others including Secret Dam Things. Twitter: @bconnie509
Page design & layout: Robert Frede Kenter. Twitter: @frede_kenter
IceFloe Press 