By J.J. Tindall
FRONTIER DAY OFF
Ridin’ into town
For supplies,
The hard prairie smoldering
In the wet August heat.
Saddle and saddle-bags
Are fine;
It’s the handlebars
On the aluminum horse
Which need adjustment, tightening.
Horse enough,
By a smirk
Of the imagination.
We keep
To the alleys
Until they get too
Torn up,
Then we slip
Into the shady lanes,
Avoiding
Traffic,
Hands tight
To the bridles
In case some asshole
Doors us.
Stay off the sidewalks
Except in extremis, always
Minimize aluminum horse
Traffic cheats,
Into Forest Park
And the exquisite,
Old School downtown
(fucking HARDWARE STORE!!!).
Hit Submarine Tender
At Randolph and Des Plaines
For simple grub,
Ham and turkey,
King-size subs
With all the trimmings.
Next (where else?),
To the United States of America–
“All Hail
The United States of America!”–
A.k.a. the USA Beverage Store
At Harlem and Madison,
Finest liquor store
In all the territories.
Enough beer
To fill the saddle-bag
Along
With all the grub.
Outside again, shit!:
Troublesome ex-neighbor
Coming south
Across Madison.
Quick-spring the pony,
Spin ‘er around
And break the rules
By riding on the sidewalk
In the opposite direction,
Then again
South, wrong-way
Down one-way
Elgin Ave.
Always gotta be ready
To make a quick move.
Sure:
It’s really
Just a bike
In a quiet suburb
But with another wink
Of the imagination
A fine sturdy steed,
Plus Stetson, Winchester,
Frye and Levi,
Pancho, cheroot
And spurs
That jingle, jangle,
Jingle.
English tea sky,
Milk white and tear blue,
Sweaty like
A black dog
But frontier free.
Stocked up,
Loaded in,
Locked down,
Diving back again
Into the searing,
Swirling sky
Of the imagination.
–
J.J. Tindall is the Beachwood’s poet-in-residence. He welcomes your comments. Chicagoetry is an exclusive Beachwood collection-in-progress.
–
More Tindall:
* Chicagoetry: The Book
* Ready To Rock: The Music
* Kindled Tindall: The Novel
* The Viral Video: The Match Game Dance
Posted on August 28, 2013