i had a bowl of soup with susan at six
and a cup of coffee with cream
she also had a cup of coffee with cream
we watched the sun go down
the moon come up
we followed with fresh melon
berries
and bed
in the morning we’ll have eggs and toast
and more coffee with cream
(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)
1.
the woman i was in love with that year stopped along the trail,
pointed up and said, my boyfriend and i call that one penis rock.
i looked. she and her boyfriend had a way with names,
but he wasn’t with us.
later, looking down from the rim,
all the rocks looked to me like penis rock.
2.
further along the trail, we stopped for lunch.
she sat in the dirt, eating by clumps of wildflowers,
her long legs drawn up.
she shared her meal,
leaving water and saltines for the local gods.
3.
the trail back down was littered with apache tears.
thousands of apaches crying for thousands of years.
(Copyright 2023 by Tetman Callis.)
“Radio means freedom. You have the radio on, and you can paint the garage. With television, it’s a commitment. Radio is your associate—you have it with you, and you’re listening while you’re doing something else.” – Vin Scully (quoted by Bill Chuck, “Drop the Mic,” Chicago Sun-Times, April 22, 2023)