Flashing by the wheat fields looking ready to harvest,
golden, full heads, bobbing in the Kansas wind and empty storefronts with “For Lease” signs
blur, one right after the other, cruising along on the Harley.
Thank God for sunscreen.
Off on the horizon, the trains rattle in the 90 degree heat carrying who knows what in boxes
marked Cisco and CSX. I don’t give much thought to where they are going
but I like watching them rumble off into the distance.
Then, on the edge of a little town of no consequence, there are orange tiger lilies bursting
out against a turquoise painted wooden fence and that scene, that scene takes my breath away
~ Iris Wilkinson
Iris Wilkinson lives in North Lawrence, just off the banks of the Kaw River. She enjoys leading a creative writing group for the women at the county jail and is thankful for her day job as a college professor at Washburn University.
Guest editor: Annette Hope Billings is an poet/actress/playwright from Topeka, KS, who has written two collections of poetry. In 2015, she stepped away from four decades of nursing to writing full-time and explore where her creative path was leading her. Her most recent collection of poetry, A Net Full of Hope, was published last year and has been well-received, garnering her a readers’ proposed title of “Maya of the Midwest.” For more info about her book:tinyurl.com/anfohbook To view videos of her work: tinyurl.com/anfohvideos To follow her on FaceBook: Facebook.com/anetfullofhope.