by Ace Boggess
all prisoners dream of escaping to Montana
where the long arm of the law bends back to scratch an itch
my brother’s wife left him for Montana
it’s peaceful there & wedding vows
dissolve like the poetry of whippoorwills
at night beneath intense almost reachable skies
the carnies never pull shenanigans in Montana
bottles fall & teddy bears reach the size of Labradors
“papa when I die will I go to Montana?”
has been heard a bit too often in these parts
the quickest way to Montana is a fast ship
the quickest way to Montana is to be caught cheating at poker
Montana’s nearest hospital waits in North Dakota
the morgue Wyoming the graveyard deep in Texas
O Lord please show me the wonders of Montana
its diamond mines & shimmering cities of gold
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Montana
I fear nothing for Thou art with me
Ace Boggess is the author of two books of poetry: The Prisoners (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2014) and The Beautiful Girl Whose Wish Was Not Fulfilled (Highwire Press, 2003). His novel, A Song Without a Melody, is forthcoming from Hyperborea Publishing. His writing has appeared in Harvard Review, Mid-American Review, RATTLE, River Styx, North Dakota Quarterly and many other journals. He lives in Charleston, West Virginia.