Poetry by Andrew Alexander Mobbs
Steady rain plunking against the asphalt, spectral
silhouettes of cedar and fir.
We make the turn off Independence Highway,
loop around the bluegrass fields into the
bustling parking lot bereft of spots.
Hundreds of meters above, the plaintive dirge of
southbound geese echoes unmistakably, lithe
necks jutting forward like javelins as
they slog through frigid winter
aiming straight for Mexico, maybe even El Dorado.
We enter the tapestry of haptics, lights, latent
holiday loneliness, bypassing it all to line
up at Mountain View Sports Bar, one
of the only restaurants open today
in the county. The absence of wreaths and tinsel
means different things to different people.
In their black button-downs and Santa
hats, the staff orbits us in slow blurs,
trying to conjure merriment. How keenly we know
the feeling, yet today, we’re genuinely content—
a Christmas miracle. Over the speaker,
Nat King Cole croons of chestnuts on an open fire.
A high roller bets it all on the house.
Andrew Alexander Mobbs is the author of the forthcoming poetry collection, In These Glorious Pastures (Kelsay Books, 2025), and two chapbooks, A Walk in the Garden (Bottlecap Press, 2024) and Strangers and Pilgrims (Six Gallery Press, 2013). A Pushcart Prize nominee, he’s grateful his poems have appeared in numerous solid literary publications. He also co-edits Nude Bruce Review.
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