John Huey
Wrong Turn in the Other City
Unkempt, arms aloft,
A low preening,
Disarmed,
All tunnels and bridges
Blocked,
Hard by the banks,
Inmates entering just below.
They are barely clothed.
The ocean fights its way up the
Estuary and, just inland,
Graceless poverty takes hold.
This part of town all bound up
In its isolation.
Divided like the insect world.
Tribes and associations,
Gang colors,
Jailhouse tattoos,
MS-13,
Bloods.
Because that’s what it comes down to.
Something thick and viscous in a vein.
A steady state you can rely on.
Someone standing up.
Compared to this, language fails,
And kind words fail,
And we always fail here.
Our so-called culture less than
Meaningless.
John Huey is the author of The Moscow Poetry File (Finishing Line Press, 2017). His poems have appeared in Poetry Quarterly, Leannan Magazine, Sein und Werden, In Between Hangovers, Bourgeon, The Lost River Review, Red Wolf Journal, Poydras Review, Flatbush Review, Memoir Mixtapes, and Perfume River Poetry Review. His work has also appeared in the anthologies Temptation (Lost Tower Publications, 2016), edited by P.J. Reed; Unbelief (Local Gems Press, 2018), edited by Thomas Ragazzi and Marc Rosen; and Addiction & Recovery (Madness Muse Press, 2018), edited by Chani Zwibel. Visit his website at john-huey.com.
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