Affliction Parish
The plant puffs a final cloud through nuclear
smokestacks. Under the numb of sunrise, our synapses
atrophied in sweet tea, we watch the floodwaters
seethe then recede and spit out our double-wides,
seethe then recede and spit out our double-wides,
sprawled belly-up and helpless. The river’s no better,
it branches out, spins its slow arms loose
it branches out, spins its slow arms loose
and tempts the gulf to come on in and swamp
the turbines. Hey there, gale force and heavy drizzle,
the turbines. Hey there, gale force and heavy drizzle,
between dinner and supper we watch cotton balls
rot in their bolls. The pressure drops, some baby squalls
rot in their bolls. The pressure drops, some baby squalls
wash away everybody’s duck blinds
and righteous rage. We toss our empties
and righteous rage. We toss our empties
in parking lot weeds, find the drunken union rep
heel-drug and drowned in his optimism. Past the courthouse,
heel-drug and drowned in his optimism. Past the courthouse,
the sad single oil well churns its mud-butter.
Welcome, recovery task force, and whoops,
Welcome, recovery task force, and whoops,
looks like you mistook our unemployment line
for a load-bearing wall, but why not? You need to rest
for a load-bearing wall, but why not? You need to rest
the new foundation on somebody’s bones, plus,
our sorry nuclei are always wrong.
our sorry nuclei are always wrong.
The church shuts up early on payday, but we go in
anyway for bootleg faith and any remedy that peels us
anyway for bootleg faith and any remedy that peels us
for a minute from our wet skins and thunder counting.
Hello, trespass and B and E, pecans batter the squad car,
Hello, trespass and B and E, pecans batter the squad car,
little fists of grief the trees shake down.
The prison gate clangs against its hinges,
The prison gate clangs against its hinges,
somebody’s muffler chugs
Told you so, told you so, telling us so.
Told you so, told you so, telling us so.
