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Out West
by Kristina WoodhillBack windows of vehicles
Here in the west
Routinely display
Family member icons
All in a neat row
Papa mama
Wavin' kids from tall to small
Cute pets waggin' the tail
Of this visual litany of productivity
Recognizable figures
All in all
And I thought
I'd seen them all
Weeks back
Neighbors gathered to rake and clean
Our narrow shared irrigation ditch
Leaves be gone, weeds be sprayed
Water comin'!
Who would have thought
A new neighbor along that route
Might think our small caravan of old pickups
Could be a threat
Picture the biggest hand gun handle
Hangin' out of his big jeans' pocket
As he paced between our trucks
Wavin' his hands
Stirrin' up fear with the neighbor lady
Across the way, draggin' her little boy behind
We had to be pretty scary
With shovels and rakes
Old boots and dirty pants
Puffin' along the lane
I guess Frankenstein's monster
Could attest
As one guy dragged
His weed burning torch
And propane tank along
To cremate the dry areas
I felt pretty safe
In my little old lady outfit
Smilin' my little old lady smile
Feelin' concerned for the guy with the gun
I told him what we were doin'
His shoulders seemed to settle down
A few inches
He had seen us out back of his place
After we raked and skirted around
The pen with his three mastiff hounds
Barking up one side of us
And down the other
The two smaller ones are OK, he said
But you'd have to shoot the brown one
If he gets out
Food for thought
I mused
As I later raked along
The back of our own property
Which brings me back
To the vehicle in front of us
On the boulevard today
Three icons in the back window
Two bigger AK-47 silhouettes
One smaller one
In a nice neat row
05/24/2014 Posted on 05/25/2014
Copyright © 2025 Kristina Woodhill
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 05/28/14 at 04:13 PM On first read, if not for the AK-47s, this reminds me of Depression era America, and the classic film, The Grapes Of Wrath. As always, superb story telling , Kristina. One of those poems me thinks will grow and clarify with each subsequent read. Kudos! |
| Posted by Quentin S Clingerman on 05/28/14 at 08:12 PM What it takes to be neighborly at times! Intriguing story. Scary AK-47s. Don't know why anyone but the police and military would want one! |
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