Well-known as
a novelist, John Straley is also a poet; “The Gift,” he says, is an old poem
from his cowboy days. Don’t miss his craft talk, “Lessons from a Life of Crime,” Thursday
night, Feb. 6, from 7:00-8:30 pm at
the Great Harvest Bread Company in Anchorage.
a novelist, John Straley is also a poet; “The Gift,” he says, is an old poem
from his cowboy days. Don’t miss his craft talk, “Lessons from a Life of Crime,” Thursday
night, Feb. 6, from 7:00-8:30 pm at
the Great Harvest Bread Company in Anchorage.
THE GIFT
Pulling a pack string
up the
south creek valley
south creek valley
the summer of nineteen seventy
steady
rhythm of leather
rhythm of leather
and pack animals
chuffing up
the dust
the dust
slung with coiled hose
portable
pumps
pumps
bundles of hoedads, and saw gas
up the fire
line
line
for three weeks,
without
rest
rest
trees becoming bonnets of flame
mule deer
scrambling past
scrambling past
giving me no notice at all
their legs
pounding the earth
pounding the earth
as if they wanted to fly.
I fell asleep in my saddle once
my feet
firm in the stirrups
firm in the stirrups
working with the rhythm
of my
saddle horse
saddle horse
a steady dreamless sleep
with the
bell around the neck of my tail mule
bell around the neck of my tail mule
tolling like a buoy in the dust.
When I woke up
the reins
were taught
were taught
my brown gelding
had his
neck down
neck down
teeth tearing dry grass
the pack
mules
mules
scattered like cinders
in the
lodge pole pines.
lodge pole pines.
No trail.
No flames.
Only a small patch
of dry
grass
grass
right in the path
of the fire
and a tinny bell in the back
ringing
sporadically.
John
Straley
Straley
John Straley is a poet, novelist, and private
investigator. He is the author of the Cecil Younger series of mystery novels
and The Rising and
the Rain, a book of poetry published by the University of Alaska
Press. He was Alaska’s Writer Laureate between 2006 and 2008. He lives in a
bright green house near Old Sitka Rocks with his wife, Jan.
investigator. He is the author of the Cecil Younger series of mystery novels
and The Rising and
the Rain, a book of poetry published by the University of Alaska
Press. He was Alaska’s Writer Laureate between 2006 and 2008. He lives in a
bright green house near Old Sitka Rocks with his wife, Jan.
While in Anchorage, he will also teach a 49 Writers
creative writing class: click here for
details and to register.
creative writing class: click here for
details and to register.
Do you have original writing you’d like featured as an “Alaska Short”? Check our guidelines and submit today!