Revised 09/14/2007 at 7:59 PM Eastern Seaboard time:

Poem 1: At the Grand Teton Steakhouse in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

She serves you steak
with a cold beer,
and a big baked
potato,
the sour cream
in a small Dixie cup
on the side,

the steak so hot,
it sizzles.

Her nameplate reads, “Carrie”,
she proudly points to it,
and says, “Like my Ma”.

Legend has it
she broke hearts,
when she took up
with a rodeo cowboy.

She smiles when you leave a tip.

I wonder what her Ma was like.

Poem 2: Sky Buffalo or Upon Exiting Yellowstone National Park At the North Gate Near Cooke City, Montana   

Words,
they wander,

like buffalo

get chased by wolves,
fall off cliffs,

change,
disappear,

like language,

wind up
somewhere else,

the alphabet is a she bear
walking with her cubs,
or a herd of elk
wandering down the hills,

even if
you string the letters together,
make them into words,

you can't capture the eagle
as it grabs a fish,
   
or people

who in winter,
capture the warmth of the morning sun,

their smiles first cups of coffee
weaving blankets,

you can't pitch a tent
on the slopes,
or paint the rocks,
or camp in the valley
of the letter Y,

or say
you saw the eagle
catch that fish,

when you didn't.


by John Barrale
September, 2007   

Dubois end is my favorite - spent a wonderful week in a pup tent at Lake of the Woods - a million years ago. Listened to the moose and the elk calling in the twilight. Watched a nest of tiny brown birds fledge. Ate cut throat every night and morning. Then there is the mule deer and the antelope, and black bear. Grizzly and wolf are returning. And the sage, mile and miles of sage, as if the whole place is bound into an incense stick.

You are correct. You can't say it if you ain't been there.

Enjoyed this poem.

Yellowstone was like - wandering heaven outside the gates.

Makes me want to grab a backpack and lasso my maltese pups and head west.  I'll return but on first read...love it.

Sherry (with a y)

Hi Lavonne::

Thanks much!

I was in the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks this past June. Simply spectacular. And there really is a Grand Teton Steakhouse in Jackson Hole Wyomming. And there was a waitress there named Carrie. The part about the legend in the poem is fiction but she was attractive and young (a bit too young for this old cowboy and besides my wife would have fixed my steer!)

Glad you enjoyed.

Best Always,
John

Hi Sherry:

To paraphrase a great newspaper editor: "Go West, young lady".

Wish I could be there again.

Best Always,
John

I feel as if you have two poems here.  I like the second one.  It begins at "Words."

Good read, thanks.

I'm with Desiree. For the record, though, I think the 'second poem' is absolutely spectacular, I just don't see the connection between the descriptions of wildlife and the steakhouse from the beginning. Your only other option, besides separating these two, is changing the ending to make it tie in. And I like the ending the way it is.


Take care,

-O

But5 ain't it great to luck out and be able to camp in the valley of the letter Y.  You don't even need to say you did.  Those who also did will know.  I really like where and how this poem moves.

Rick

Hi Desiree:

I read your comment on my lunch break and after mulling it over I came to the conclusion that you are right. So like the luckless (or rather lucky) Blackjack player I'm splitting my hand. I am changing it into two poems. They both started out as journal entries so I'll use the title of my journal entry for one of the poems.

Thanks for your suggestion and I'm glad you liked the poem.

Best Always,
John   

Hi Oleksa:

Breaking up is hard to do - like the song says, separation anxiety and such. But took courage and keyboard in hand. Poems we write are like our children Most would rather eat their young instead of change.

But I loved your and Desiree's suggestion.

I'm also glad you liked my poem.

Best Always,
John

Hi Rick:

Very pleased you liked my poem. It's Friday night - time to saddle up - hit the streets and the NY poetry bars. Verse and Tullamore Dew - always a  good combination.

Best Always,