the new tattoo
has turned scaly
Author: Dave Bonta
I live in an Appalachian hollow in the Juniata watershed of central Pennsylvania, and spend a great deal of time walking in the woods. My books of poetry include FAILED STATE: HAIBUN, ICE MOUNTAIN: AN ELEGY, BREAKDOWN: BANJO POEMS, and ODES TO TOOLS.
growing needles
in an icy fog—
perjury charges
out before dawn
the perfect fit of foot
to footprint
American bittersweet
the great poet’s death
trending on Twitter
mountain gorge
we climb to gaze at the stream’s
effortless descent
power plant plumes
dead broomsedge hissing
in the ridgetop wind
getting high
all the green feathers
of fern and moss
foggy solstice
the “cosmic” flavor of the cloud
from her vape
dying old-growth
the pristine faces
of artist’s conks
mushroomier now
the chainsawed end of a hemlock
among acorns
taking root
the retriever’s snout
burial tree
my 100,000 miles of veins
