Or Whippin’ Post  by the Berklee 5-Week String Orchestra

Lucille is making crazy eyes above
her crossbow, thinking here we go again.
The Rundown kinda fits her like a glove.
A double shot of Alabama Zen,
but no one needs a second chance to cry.
Turn right. Repeat and make a right
and tighter every time. O rabbit hole.
O goodtime buddies, steer into the light
and everything will be just fine. My soul,
she’s calibrating dog tracks in the sky
and serious as hell. Sharp elbows jab
in pompitous toccata. Dying yet?
I know. I’m taking up a long white slab
myself like everybody else I met.
Been lied to. And I don’t remember why.

Rick Mullin’s poetry has appeared in various journals and anthologies, including American Arts Quarterly, The Raintown Review, The New Criterion, and The Dark Horse. His latest collection, Lullaby and Wheel, was published by Kelsay Books in 2019.