A Nap at Rum River
Who would not like to stop
in the sun at Rum River and nap?
In Minnesota, flat terrain offers no surprise, but altitude
(called locally “geospatial extent”) seldom exceeds a tree.
Endemic soil fans look up and point, intriguing the tourists
who wrestle disorientation during upward gaze too high and
so topple to what tricksters at these altitudes call “just rest.”
Cold spring air leaks squealing, cat cries, into the troposphere;
winds slow, not to end winter, but to end tasteless redundancy.
By the way, I am neither native, nor a Vikings fan. If you repeat
what I say, someone here (although very nice people in general)
may try to sell your spleen to an organ hospital in Minneapolis.
I moved here to win a bet; I learned all these facts at first hand;
I did return home (I can’t reveal the location) every four months
or so to send anonymous reportage to the New York Times, not
once having my stories believed. So I’ve started hiking through
sunny Minnesota down the curlicue Rum River (check it out)
that will not permit compass direction; often stopping to nap.
If you read this poem, please be sure to then destroy it and live.
This poem first appeared in Mojave River Review.
Keith Moul’s poems and photos are published widely. Finishing Line Press released a chap called The Future as a Picnic Lunch in 2015. Aldrich Press published Naked Among Possibilities in 2016; Finishing Line Press has just released (1/17) Investment in Idolatry. In August, 2017, Aldrich Press released Not on Any Map, a collection of earlier poems. These poems are all from a new work about prairie life through U.S. history, including regional trials, character, and attachment to the land.
The Paddock Review 