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The book The House of the World has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and is now available on Amazon.

Cider and Whiskey

FROM THE SAVANNAH IDYL COLLECTION

Johnny Mercer gave a new name
to the Back River north of Savannah.
That boy was a dream maker,
like he said in his song Moon River,
and that old river was called
Moon River in his honor.
That river empties in our hearts now.
We loved it before,
but now we see it Johnny’s way,
and that’s how names get started.
How things come to be called.
Always a reason somewhere for a name.

There’s something thoughtful
about life here in Savannah.
The poetry in our trees,
moss, the way eyes catch the sun.
How women flirt and peek aside at you.
Cider and whiskey all at once.
Romance and bravery all at once.
We’re proud and have no bones about it.
Could say we paid a price for civilization.
Shed our blood and came back.
Now and then
when the rain plays a tune outside,
I open the door to see it wash down,
see the world shine,
and dazzle when it’s over.
That’s what we are,
dreamers,
dream makers.

Published inIndex of all Poems