I had come with a microscope
yearning to get to the core
of the colors of town
and of morning
to dissect
each pebble of stucco
its tiny round mouth
drinking whitewash that blinded
to register warmth in adobe
without even touching it
locate the blades of straw dancing all angles
askew through the mortar
and keep my hands clean
of the mud that sucked color from fallen red rocks
gently fading to coral
a pottery reef
in the mountainous surf
I wanted to understand masonry
timeless and velvety grey
like the fur of a burro just born
to figure out lime green
a burst through this light
wrapping storefronts in glaze
like fresh mint
or mojito
the cocktail of pigments
had dizzied me
told me
to pitch my cold instrument into the heat
In the end, my own poem took the form of a
haibun, a Japanese cross between prose and poet-
ry, while poet Leah Billingsley’s playful poem took
on some of the characteristics of a ghazal, an
Arabic form which repeats phrases throughout its
couplets:
Notebook open, pen poised, which way to go.
blank page, no word signs yet or number signs
Arrows point north and south. Oleander, pickup trucks.
topaz sky, white sign, blue sign
Manicured nails. Handlebar mustache. Mailbox talk.
take your time, purple sign, orange sign
Cowboy pointillist. Christ, the way? Truth-bleached bones.
faded sign, graffiti divine, painted sign
BIGGEST
SELECTION
Boot and saddle join. Sonic design. Diminished chord chimes.
brown sign, solar shine, red and yellow sign
West of the Pecos
Sunflower crimson memories. Yellow door opens. Watch out.
red sign, sign of life, stop sign
Cheshire cat smiles his silver history. Widow-woman shoots.
Signal time.
yesteryear sign, cinnabar mine, black sign
st. Jonah
Orthodox Church
Open 10am to 9pm
Mon - Sat
◊
Gunville vacant. Lush sweet peas. Grass. For sale.
green sign, railway line, empty sign
Come, See & Hear the Services
of Early Christianity
Little red caboose comes rolling down the tracks. You remem-
ber the words.
all in time, back again, future-is-here sign
– Ramona Tepper By the time we regrouped at the Bread &
Breakfast, we were ready for water, caffeine and
breakfast – but we felt we had our sustenance
already. The walking Petrarchan sonnet exercise
will be in my bag of tricks from now on, so if you
see a strange group of people ambling and writ-
ing furiously up and down Holland Avenue this
summer, you’ll know what’s up... the poets are
back in town.
Discarded mattresses slump over an abandoned dryer
outside Mitchell’s, a former gas station in the heart of a
town where everything is formerly something, everything
used or antique – farm equipment, buildings, guitars.
Creed Taylor, Texas Ranger, and wife Blanch remain
immortalized in brick on a Holland Street sidewalk outside
the Rail Road Park. Drought-tolerant fountains of cacti
fade in sunlight. Empty and corroded letters prove the
Alpine Lumber Company has been long-gone.
A train chugs behind Harry’s Tinaja, its ditch as dry
as the skulls that decorate it – no water at this watering hole
– then a clang-clang-clang and Spriggs Boot & Saddle
Shop, selling everything from biker gear to books, whatever
it takes to stay in business. A horse trailer ambles by with
more occupants than the many houses for sale – reduced.
A peeling red and white sign welcomes visitors to the
Bien Venido, and a woman loads Deer Chow into her pick-
up at the Exxon. Too early for Twin Peaks Liquor to be
open, where no doubt they do have the best selection West of
the Pecos. Outside another former gas station, now a wood-
work shop – also for sale – a rock fountain with the thinnest
dribble of rusty water.
www.BigBendOnline.com
Alpine
I was hungry
for something I couldn’t describe
all this brilliance
too early
for so much to drink
Looking for Water
Real Estate ・Travel ・Art
for the Big Bend
605 E Holland Ave • Alpine
Sunday 10 am • Wednesday 6:30 pm
405 E. Gallego Avenue • Alpine, TX 79830
bigbendorthodox.org • 832-969-1719
– Leah Billingsley
GALLERY
Thirst
432.837.7476
www.twinpeaksliquors.com
C ONTEMPORARY W EST T EXAS A RT
401 N. 5th Street • Alpine TX 79830
(432)837-5999
Representing work by
Charles Bell • Karl Glocke
Ling Dong • Carlos Campana
Hours vary or by appointment
Art and Guitar classes • Weekend workshops offered
Hand-painted signs and graphics
August edges in,
pledges more dust,
desert willows wither
– Scott Wiggerman
Cenizo
Second Quarter 2012
27