Southern Gothic

slow-sanded shuffle

tattered denim lifted
in curtsy clear of mud

plaintive wail cuts dull-edged
through valley gale

wind winding, seeking,
searching icy as mountain streams

counter-point tapestry of sound
where banjo sharpens fiddle

cleft of farm blossoming
in deep forboding pine

rough squared hole enables
railroad spike of light
to invade the living-black
of cabin

a bobcat's scream, woman-like,
electrifies muggy August nights

butchered ghosts pause
at periwinkle door frames