Nowhere to go, nothing to do, no seeking
The words chase me across the page as I walk
Book in hand, simple aspiration
The path I’ve walked a hundred times before
Tall trees in a shaded forest, autumn sun
Chasing me, a favorite time of year, no fear
Random thoughts from the week before
A dream about an imaginary show, where
There was no time to practice. Set list scrawled.
Conversations meaning something different
Spilling tea. Always trying to listen better
Always listening and then losing what I feel
Hickory nuts fall over my shoulder — landing
Loudly on the muddy ground — slowly
Sinking deeper for someone else to find
Another place or time, it could be different
A log split open from decay, so I can pass
Others follow, making their own way
Doug Hoekstra is a Chicago-bred, Nashville-based artist whose poems, performances, songs, and stories have crisscrossed the globe in publications and playlists, his eight CDs and four books racking up Independent Music Award, Nashville Music Award, Independent Publisher Award, and Pushcart Prize nominations, brass rings, and groovy times. Ten Seconds In-Between, his latest collection of short stories, earned a Royal Dragonfly Award for Best Short Story Collection of 2021 and was a Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist 2022. For more: www.doughoekstra.net
