O at the Edges

Musings on poetry, language, perception, numbers, food, and anything else that slips through the cracks.

Dickinson, Texas

Posted on July 6, 2019 by robert okaji

Dickinson, Texas

Yellow light seeps through the clouds
pretending the storm has passed.

I am drawn to this falsehood like matches to
the abrasive box-end, a swatter to the fly.

Old women wait in the creeping water,
confidence draining with every risen

inch, their ears straining to believe.
As hill meets dusk and torn sky,

where heroes reveal their shared voice,
fear’s black finger scratches the roof.

“Dickinson, Texas” first appeared in Ristau: A Journal of Being in January 2019. Many thanks to editor Bob Penick for taking this piece.

12 thoughts on “Dickinson, Texas”

John on July 5, 2019 at 9:10 am said:

And if you like rural Texas and the vanishing characters of the Llano Estacado, look for George Perreault’s “Bodark County”, a delightful and intriguing read.

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- robert okaji on July 5, 2019 at 5:33 pm said:
  
  I need to pick up a copy. Yours is the second recommendation I’ve received!
  
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sircharlesthepoet on July 5, 2019 at 9:18 am said:

“Yellow light seeps through the clouds
pretending the storm has passed”

That’s a powerful start of this piece!

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- robert okaji on July 5, 2019 at 5:33 pm said:
  
  Thank you!
  
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onecarriage on July 5, 2019 at 11:58 am said:

“like matches to the abrasive box-end”…superb. Great tension and suspense in this.

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- robert okaji on July 5, 2019 at 5:34 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Craig!
  
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Charmed Chaos on July 5, 2019 at 12:18 pm said:

Simply incredible Robert!

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- robert okaji on July 5, 2019 at 5:35 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much!
  
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Ms.Acwh1's Blog's on July 9, 2019 at 12:50 pm said:

Wow this is a beautiful write keep up the great work. Anita

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- robert okaji on July 9, 2019 at 4:13 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much, Anita.
  
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Ms.Acwh1's Blog's on July 9, 2019 at 12:51 pm said:

Thanks also for stopping by my page god bless

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- robert okaji on July 9, 2019 at 4:14 pm said:
  
  It was my pleasure!
  
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12 thoughts on “Dickinson, Texas”

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