beside an ultra-high flow diesel pump
this long-haul trucker takes a piss,
shields his dick from the wind
that sweeps across middle america
shouting in his ears & everyone’s
ears it deafens us. his name is evan
(not that it matters) (not the penis,
the trucker) (the penis is called greg)
& he hasn’t heard anyone say it for
three months because his friends all
call him spider now & also
he has no friends
to call him
spider. it deafens us.
so evan (spider) puts greg (penis)
back in his blue jeans & grunts &
spits & walks into the twenty-four
hour love’s travel shop lobby &
it has a restroom but spider
(evan) could not wait.
he leaves behind him
a puddle gleaming soft
with neon lights & halogen headlamps
a shade of green nearly warm
enough to call home, a razor-
thin veneer, a mirror to hide
the crumbling blacktop
underneath
& standing on dry land hidden
from the wind that sweeps
across middle america (evan)
he waits for a friend to call
& quiet sweeps across love’s
like a deafening wind like a
tornado coming like
a telephone ringing
***
Patrick Younger is a used-to-be submarine mechanic and current amateur animal impersonator. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Kansas. He writes poetry and resides in Kansas with his two children.
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Rejection Letters 