My Ode to Richard Hugo

I thought I would share a poem I wrote after reading Richard Hugo's book :)

Outlaw’s Return: Ode to Richard Hugo

This god-forsaken town hated me.
They hated the very thought of me.
Tainted, they claimed,
Ruined by poor judgment and
lack of all belief in the system.
I bruised their feeble egos
and was politely asked to leave.

The dull gray water tower
peeled and faded with
the town’s life and pride.
The once eager gold fever moved
to a new part of California, leaving
behind broken windows and empty
hotels, fences on rusty hinges,
dust thick in the stale air of abandonment.
No longer did the town hold that
John Wayne bravado,
swagger of pride to defend its
so-called honor from
outlaws like me.

I walk, confident, past
weather-worn planks and
cracked leather saddles
dulled with age,
prepared to take back what I lost.