THE HAUNTED BRIDGE

 

The Haunted Bridge

Ghost Story

Last Harvest

THE HAUNTED BRIDGE

They called it The Bird Bridge—

Named after Lorna Anderson

And her lover the handsome

Reverend Thomas Bird

They said it was haunted—

The old fashioned rickety

Wood planks and cable

Bridge over the Cottonwood

Adventurous teenagers—

Would go out there at night

After feeling brave and

Guzzling a six-pack of Coors

They’d tape ghostly voices—

Emanating from Sandra Bird

Who got dumped in the drink

Her car driven into the river

She’d howl and lament—

Giving the Faith Lutheran

Church of Emporia the

Worst heebie-jeebies

The only way to shut her up—

Was to throw the book at

Her minister husband and his

Slutty “personal” secretary

___________________________

GHOST STORY

“Michael R. Wise, former chairman

of Denver's failed Silverado Banking,

jumped from the ninth floor of a

short-term parking garage at the

Tampa International Airport last week.”

—The Wall Street Journal

Fell, jumped—maybe pushed?
Smooth guyz—like Wise don’t
Fall or jump—they get pushed

You mess too many—people over
Sooner or later—karma catches up
It comes back—like a boomerang

Just like his—second wife
Supposedly—"suicide by pillow"
C’mon please—give me a break

I met Wise—at KSTC
In the student union—smooth
Goodlooking—with Paula

Mike’s hands—cold as ice
His blue eyes—slanted shut
Sizing me up—for a scam

__________________

LAST HARVEST

—for Denise Low

kansas city boys
were always sharp
especially the
frat boyz at kstc

none of them drove
pickups cattle was
something they
called kc steaks

and then they
were gone on
weekends while
I studied in the

waw stacks and
harvested wheat
in jewell county
all summer long

for my uncle
under the red
glare of the
john deere sun

& buffalo moon
but that’s all gone
now the farms little

towns the dirt roads

tyson sullivan

doxtator stauffer

the little athens of

gone midwest prairie

lumbering into
the dark fields
that will soon be me
when night comes.

_________________