Amy Susan Wilson has published in numerous journals, including This Land, Southern Women’s Review, and elsewhere. Fetish and Other Stories, which focuses on Southern women, is forthcoming May 2015, Third Lung Press. She is Editor of Red Truck Review: A Journal of American Southern Literature and Culture and Publisher, Red Dirt Press. (www.redtruckreview.com). She publishes attorney Steven L. Parker’s debut novel, “BS,” release date of June 2015. 

“The Country Lawyer Explains”

Goat blood gushing
like Turner Falls
after a flood;
Rascal
your number one bird dog
settled into truck bed,
flip out the side
into that ravine,
fridges
sofas—
goats
thrown out back
the pull-trailer
Bethel Fork Road.
Seven necks
wishbone-easy
snap.
Ford 250 axle busted up
good as a boxer’s face.

Elmore charging outta his pen
as you chug the rut-red dirt
road—lying in wait he was–
Elmore
knowing to dart
just the right millisecond
to crash pancake-thin
Ford 250 and all,
Elmore’s
laugh-smirk-snort
the sure-fire sign
of a serial killer
you say.
Welp, Elmore enjoyed takin’ out
           meat goats,
           ole Rascal.
           Ya didn’t see him laugh;
           truck engine
           blazin’ Hades
           goat blood
           galore.

II.

Uncle Roy,
Aunt Wanella,
I don’t doubt
the Internet says
you can prosecute a pig
some parts the world
but not
Pottawatomie County,
Oklahoma.
Sure, blame our federal
government,
Obama,
But animals lack culpability.
I agree
smells like rain
come this hour.
Elmore’s gonna muck
in mud
sun his big fat
wad of belly,
his favorite
slaughter hog-thing
beyond murdering meat goats,
God’s finest bird dog,
the injustice
of reward.