Travis Stephens
Passing Mile 121
This could be any road
any scruff of gravel, asphalt
along any road. Look closer
for the shreds of plastic, glass
or that greasy smear of tire.
Weeds still dance to passing cars,
cattle graze nearby, looking at me.
You nine-hundred pound lumps
of hamburger on the hoof—don't
look at me. No knife is sharp enough.
This road is busy at this time of day.
I kick at the ground, unwilling to forgive God
not for what he has taken but
for the world's casual acceptance
that it will happen again.
Bio
Travis Stephens is a tugboat captain who resides with his family in California. Recent credits include: Gyroscope Review, 2River, Sheila-Na-Gig, Tiny Seed Literary Journal, Raven's Perch, Crosswinds Poetry Journal, Gravitas and The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature.