Steven Schroeder Featured Reader at Duff's on Monday, November 26

Steve Schroeder will be one of three featured readers at the next •chance operations• at Duff's, 392 N. Euclid, on Monday, November 26.

Also featured will be Chris Parr and Julia Gordon-Bramer.

Musical guest will be Tony Renner.

Doors at 7:30 p.m.; admission $3.00.

Advance sign-up for the open-mic following the featured readers is encouraged. Click here to sign-up via e-mail.

Steve's second book of poetry, The Royal Nonesuch, is forthcoming from Spark Wheel Press. His first book is Torched Verse Ends (BlazeVOX [books]). His poems are available from New England Review, Pleiades, The Journal, Indiana Review, Verse, Beloit Poetry Journal, Court Green, The Laurel Review, Copper Nickel, The Collagist, diode, and Verse Daily. They have also appeared by invitation in parks, public transportation, and business waiting rooms. He edits the online poetry journal Anti-, serves as a contributing editor for River Styx, and works as a Certified Professional Résumé Writer.

Trouble There on the Frontier

When water and government and children disappear
We take apocalyptic scripture seriouser and seriouser.

Coyotes mentor hens in history of the West they alter,
Chant chicken neck chicken foot then put them on the altar.

Legs of rumor running down this cowtown spread
Plagues and fantail sprays colored chorus girl red.

Hot shotgun hut admits no sunlight so we burn it.
Horse of course can’t recanter its curses so we burn it.

We draw Colt Peacemakers and X’s all over our maps
Traveled in covered wagons circling back to traps.

Autocracy and automobile and automatic buffalo
Sheriff’s deputies and dentists moved from Buffalo.
Trainhorn don't you know there’s no return to buffalo?

-- Steven D. Schroeder

Note: Originally published in Pleiades.