by David Feela
For Gail Binkly & the 4CornersFreePress 9/2003 - 2/2024
Sitting in the back row
at another public meeting
listening to what’s spoken
hearing what’s not said
measuring the distance between these goals
where truth gets kicked around
to make a few cheap points
Every meeting is a scrimmage
moving a pencil or pen
pushing a digital button
collecting every word
rewinding & fast-forwarding
late into the night
until the players are realigned
in an orderly fashion
As paragraphs emerge
on a plain white field
the story’s noise gets hushed
an extended replay
an understanding
as if the game depended on more
than who simply won or lost
David Feela writes monthly columns for The Four Corners Free Press and The Durango Telegraph. Unsolicited Press carries his latest chapbook Little Acres. His out-of-print collection of essays How Delicate These Arches—a finalist for the Colorado Book Award—is available once more, but this time as an ebook.