a tiny town and its news, or, the brief magnificence

he crossed
the centerline for
unknown reason,
colliding
head-on
with a semi truck.
he died
at the scene.
fifteen years earlier,
he was caught
and convicted
of taking bribes
as a politician.
the big industry
of his state,
their disease
of money,
more than he could
withstand.

a woman
who until recently
frequented
the tiny town’s
small health shop,
her death
announced
in the tiny town
newspaper.
seventy nine years
of life and
seventy nine years
of searching
for the permuting expressions
of health.
a bottle of supplements
she had ordered,
a month or three back,
sits quietly
on the counter
of the tiny town’s
small health shop.
it will be soon
placed
on a shelf,
available
for general sale.

a decades old
black
and white
photo,
submitted,
printed,
celebrating
the start of
the 2022
professional american football
season,
on the lone
Sports Page
of the tiny town’s
newspaper.
in the photo,
three men smile
their alcohol inflected smiles.
one of the three,
no longer living.
“good luck to
all teams!”,
the caption
on the photo
says,
the three men
with their arms
slung around
each other.
holding on.