Ghosts of Wyoming
A ghost must haunt
the space it’s given
European gothic castles
and ancient burial sites are nice –
But a double-wide’ll do in a pinch.
Overlapping times
confused by historic re-enactors
they grab hold of what they can
While trapped in cycles of life
still fighting with the in-laws
still drinking too much
still serving dinner at five
still wandering snow-blind hillsides
going about the day-to-day of days gone by
or caught up in the last moments of an unexpected end.
Is there a hierarchy of ghosts?
Do headless apparitions
Wandering hallways lined with suits of armor
rank higher than
Joe who died in 1979
and still won’t get his lazy ass off the couch?
Not in the Equality State.
No sir.
~ Danielle Metcalfe Chenail
Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail grew up in Ottawa but has recently moved to Edmonton from Wyoming. She is the author of For the Love of Flying and is currently working on two other books – a historical novel and a history of aviation in Canada’s north – but has always loved poetry.
Leave a Reply