The Seasoned Land
By David LaBounty

a summertime weekend.

northern Michigan.

the towns and countryside seasoned

with septic tanks and deer

with churches and clean living

with young and old

either drunk or high

from too much boredom or pain

we stop at a Wal-Mart

in a resort town full

or urban refugees

and local varicose veins

along with

rows of camouflage

and wonder bread

and we breathe it all in

and can’t help but

admire the simple

northern life with it’s

acres of pine trees

and it’s starry, starry skies

touching and blurring

the lines of poverty

and horizon.