The Beauty of Small Town Boys Before School
~circa 2001
that look just like goose necks standing
in a gaggle at the top of the steps.
The necks of geese in basketball shirts and 90’s
boy band haircuts. Jelled bangs. Bowl cuts.
Was this beauty or money?
A cotillion of boys who look like water fowl
gathering before the first bell, near the doric columns.
Was this beauty or having
a dad who coached a sport?
These long limbed boys laughing their faces
turned up toward the morning sun before school.
Was this having a dad who
had a sense of humor?
Was this having a dad?
Was this beauty?
These tanned, puka-shelled boys honking
at the nonsense words they made up
to say hey, this is our flocking
flock, you motherflockers.
Was this teenage heartthrob Johnathan Taylor Thomas
and Josh Hartnett? Was this living
on the edge of a golf course
or next to horses on a farm?
When the bell rings they take to the
halls, a flyway, a breeding ground,
a resource-rich habitat. Ancient. Cyclical.
5 thoughts on "The Beauty of Small Town Boys Before School"
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Love the metaphor weaving throughout.
Very exciting to read your poems again, Chris!
This really is magical – the work of the imagery against the ideology and how the privileged never recognize their luck (which is of course the ultimate privilege).
Appreciate how you question what beauty is and what might instead be on display.
I remember the boys of that generation. Especially again in your words.
Happy LexPoMo
Love the metaphors,language, and content in this poem!