Four Poems from John Dorsey by Scott Preston and Kim Stafford

These poems, along with several hundred others, are part of a larger erasure collection entitled Pocatello Wildflower, which examines the words of a group of Idaho writers who worked primarily from the 1970’s to the 1990’s, including the late Bruce Embree, who really got the ball rolling in my head and heart, with a few still working today. It is my great hope that folks will be interested in the original writers work, in addition to my own. These particular pieces were taken from Scott Preston and Kim Stafford. Pocatello Wildflower will be available in 2023 from Crisis Chronicles Press.

John

The River Bones

a wounded horse
made simple magic

a ghost survivor
drown in underground rivers
wrapped around thunder

i leave children
words
her face
sweet america

the city hidden on your fingers
black as innocent mines
tender human ghosts
guarding the rooftop at dawn.



Mud Junction

patriotic kids
erected a monument
for sammy hagar
to piss wind.


Pine Mountains

the valley’s knuckles gather ego.


Sun Worm

black as midnight
the biggest pale belly
glorious flopping stars

you float loose
& dreams
break your heart.

John Dorsey lived for several years in Toledo, Ohio. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including Teaching the Dead to Sing: The Outlaw's Prayer (Rose of Sharon Press, 2006), Sodomy is a City in New Jersey (American Mettle Books, 2010), Tombstone Factory, (Epic Rites Press, 2013), Appalachian Frankenstein (GTK Press, 2015) Being the Fire (Tangerine Press, 2016) and Shoot the Messenger (Red Flag Poetry, 2017),Your Daughter's Country (Blue Horse Press, 2019), Which Way to the River: Selected Poems 2016-2020 (OAC Books, 2020), Afterlife Karaoke (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2021) and Sundown at the Redneck Carnival, (Spartan Press, 2022).. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and the Stanley Hanks Memorial Poetry Prize. He was the winner of the 2019 Terri Award given out at the Poetry Rendezvous. He may be reached at archerevans@yahoo.com.