by Nicholas Johnson
Rusted, abandoned in the upstate woods,
the red flatbed obviously used
for target practice. Shot full of holes, looks
real good against this tree. Abused
after the crash, gutted, left to rot, dirt
in the back became a bed for flowers,
weeds, trees grown in the wrong place. Doesn’t hurt
to take a snapshot to remind us — hours
we spent here, watching how things go: Nature’s
slow way of swallowing things whole. The wind
roars through this valley like a train, its pure
power enough to still our voices, our kin-
ship left in question, something to decide:
Like bad gamblers, we let the future ride.
“Flatbed Truck” appeared in Degrees of Freedom, winner of the 2005 Bright Hill Press Chapbook Contest
Nicholas Johnson (1944-2019) and Maureen Holm (1951-2005) were the co-founders of BigCityLit.
Maureen Holm was a poet, novelist, editor, literary translator, arts lawyer, and senior essayist and articles editor for Big City Lit. She lived in Manhattan. Holm received her B.A. degree in German Literature & Philosophy, J.D. in 1981, an LL.M in 1991. She served as translator/editor for UNIDO, IIASA, Simmering Graz Pauker A.G., Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). She translated the German Bankruptcy Code for the OECD, and was an interpreter for depositions, hearings, and trials. Her commercial transactional and litigation practice focused on European licensors and manufacturers. She was a founder and co-producer of Lyric Recovery Festival at Carnegie Hall (a biannual of poetry-music).
Nicholas Johnson was the editor of BigCityLit. His chapbook, Degrees of Freedom, is available from Bright Hill Press. We encourage you to read our 20th Anniversary Issue, which is dedicated to Nicholas’ memory.