A Poem Illicit by Cindy Knoke

The popular photographer and poet Cindy Knoke wrote us a poem in response to our ongoing flash fiction contest (which ends at midnight tonight so go vote for your favorite story!). Unfortunately, per the fine print of the contest rules, only flash fiction responses meeting the stated criteria will be accepted. All other responses are to be deleted. Yeah, I get down like that. However, reading Cindy’s poem felt to me like listening to a Tom Waits song and if anyone knows me they know I have a huge man crush on Tom. No way I could abandon her poem to a trash can death. So instead I share it here with you where it can shimmy and shake for all eternity as a special supplement to our weekly Sunday Song to Spark the Spirit and Summon the Moves of the Dance…

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A Poem Illicit by Cindy Knoke

I have no gumption,
so will fail your challenge
before I even start it.

I fail every such challenge,
on purpose.
It is a way to never lose.
And never win.

I wish to be neither,
a winner,
or a loser.

But I am super attracted to abandoned cars.

Especially in remote places,
where no one can find them.

There is one at The Holler,
buried almost to the windshield.
I think someone may be dead there.
I took photos of it.

A while ago,
before I took photos,
on purpose.

I took a photo of my son,
standing on an abandoned car,
which I asked him to stand on.

It was in Copper River,
Alaska.

That little pre-phog photo sits,
now.

Reminding me,
that abandoned cars,
in unfound places,
means a person,
was either murdered,
or just wished to go away.

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A Sunday Song to Spark the Spirit
and Summon the Moves of the Dance

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GO VOTE!