Clutter Falls #1
light thru cracks in blinds and
a swift river down the canyon
only the clouds remain after
the night birds return to their cave
all your thoughts about some victory
in the future and all the tides receding
leave fish stranded
memory is a headache
we play country ballads on guitar
we can sit on the porch over the river
and play marty robbins songs
later in the night we talk about
certain businesspeople we know
the dallas cowboys, space facts
Clutter Falls #2
i saw a horned owl at night
during the day sweating
outside a dancehall and deer
pause on the grass like statues
my forehead pressed against glass
so much cooler in the shade
mystique of the white gravel lot
lemon round in guadalupe beef
navy blue over green treetops
i can see comanche fires in the woods
or edison lamps burning in windows
there are germans in this forest
Clutter Falls #3
unreal house on the edge of dreams
in a place where waters converge
the sun looping into frame
in a crisis of belief my breath caught short
and i knew i could not be with either side
standing downwind of a skunk at night
the morning came hot and fast
little bells tinkling with the sunrise
until all the cedars are green and white
WALLACE BARKER lives in Austin, Texas. He has been published in Neutral Spaces Magazine, Misery Tourism and Back Patio Press. His full-length poetry collection “La Serenissima” is available from Gob Pile Press. More of his work can be found at wallacebarker.com.
MAXIMUS 