the artist calls it
“red truck in bookstore”
like
still-life
like
“white flowers in vase by window”
or
“pond with clouds over mountain”
like that
but different
inspired by true events
when a small red truck had angry sex
with a neighborhood bookstore
soon after, people gathered to gawk
just Looky-loos
but some of them were painters
and some of them got excited for this rare opportunity to paint
“red truck in bookstore”
and set up their easels
and look here, the artist was clever
under the right front wheel
a children’s book with a cartoon red truck on the cover
sadly, some don’t have what it takes
some can’t look directly at
“red truck in bookstore”
they look away, instead they paint
“old honda with flat tire”
or
“broken bottle in gutter”
or
“stray dog pissing on dumpster”
stuff like that
as for method and technique, it was a fortunate disaster
imagine the exact moment the art happened
drunk teenagers texting in red truck spinning out
over median crashing into bookstore
imagine painting that happy moment!
imagine the glory, imagine all the art critics wetting their pant!
imagine the headlines:
last night, two red trucks crashed headfirst into each other inside
the capital hill bookstore on colfax and grant
one real as red steel, the other a fairytale
witnesses claim “art imitates life”
no fatalities reported, rescue crews and
art school students working around the clock
personally, i like
“red truck in bookstore”
its brave, its original, its both urban and quaint all squished together
its colorful, if you like endless layers of red truck
yes indeed, i like
“red truck in bookstore”
just not on my block
red truck in bookstore
jalopy dreams 
i really liked the imagery in this poem. matter-of-fact but also cheeky at the same time. Always a pleasure to read your works.
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Never expected the dose of reality at the end! What a poem!
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I like the double meaning in “block.” And “pants” is missing an “s” … unless it isn’t. Perhaps it was intentional, which also works.I haven’t heard this story; I am taking a break from almost all news.Happy holidays; I hope you are healing well.
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As art, it would be interesting, momentarily, but it would not go on my wall. The broken bottle in a ditch would bring more imagination. But…. instead, your poetry would be much better appreciate, and is! Happy Christmas holidays!
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thank you, lee, glad you enjoyed
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thank you helen, and marry christmas
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hey pepper! thanks for the heads-up on the typo. and yes i'm healing well. can't walk on it yet, but i'm so ready to go home, still staying with relatives and, well, suburbia just isn't for me. happy holidays to you too! is your blog up? i'd love to go vivit
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thanks jc, and no, i wouldn't recommend putting red trucks on your walls, kind of messy. also, your request for edna st. vincent millay did not fall on deaf ears, i'll start working on it after the new year =)
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visit
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One of my kids received a Christmas gift wrapped in red-truck wrapping paper today! So cute. I love kismetic moments like those. 🙂
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Love the way you've managed to fuse art and life here, making them two wings on a confused but determined bird. I laughed out loud at “rescue crews and postmodern art students working around the clock..” and the stanza before it, too, with the failed attempts. Good to see you writing again, Phillip, and hope you are soon free from the chains of suburbia. Merriest Christmas you can have, my friend.
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“confused but determined bird”, thats funny, and pretty much spot on, thank you joy, enjoy your holiday
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that is cute, was there a toy red truck inside?
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Spider-Man pajamas and an electric toothbrush
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