Issue 15
Summer 2003
Harding Stedler
Harding Stedler received his Ph.D. from Florida State University in Tallahassee. He retired from Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, after 34 years of teaching English. He has established a writing scholarship for poets at Shawnee State, and the first award will be made this year.
BULLYING FOR CENTER STAGE
Texas bull flaunts his stuff,
center of the arena.
Having thrown his rider,
he stands erect,
hind feet in search of rafters.
Then, with the grace of a model,
he stages his own parade.The crowd thinks him haughty,
upstaging the one
who rode him into the ring.
But then, even some bulls
think they are God.
Back on all fours,
he sticks his head in the air
and looks condescendingly
on those
he thinks inferior.
He believes himself almighty,
suggesting the domain inside the ring
is a bull's world only.
WAITING FOR YOUR SHADOWS
On an unfamiliar highway
in an unfamiliar state,
you make your way back home.
I hope the roads are marked well
so you don't miss a turn.In spirit, I ride with you,
watch for landmarks,
look for signs
that will return you safely.It will be a grand reunion
when I see you casting shadows
on my doorstep.
I will parade you up and down
the avenues of my heart
beneath a nurturing sun.
There, I will pick the blossoms
of your smile.
WITH WHISKEY ON THEIR LIPS
Boys with active hormones
want to wrestle bulls
and paint whiskey on their lips.
The animal in them is ignited.
They vow to kill
as only madmen will.They go from tackles on the gridiron
to sniper fire in shopping malls
with whiskey in their veins.
Highways have no safety nets
with them behind the wheel.Mercy and good fortune
may see them to adulthood,
but many will wear headstones
before wedding bands.