"Camouflage" - J.P. Wares

"Camouflage" - J.P. Wares

what would camouflage look like

imagined by the cover of my old 

Sugar album, imagined in large brush,

imagined by the lettering of fresh bread,

imagined by chrysanthemum,

imagined on a 1970 volkswagen

thinking of the sand colored doors

of buses only parking, of boat on top

of frosted georgia trees by rivers

of one sitting forever, no motor

back in woods away from this

kitchen, this comfortable bed, this job.

what would geometry do to curves,

what are hard angles in fog, ivy, the rust

of Georgia soil? what cut to mineral allows

a lean into corner on a hard run, soft 

rubber beneath, and park the bus there,

21 windows, engine bay empty, wood floor

barely sanded, hewn from downed apple

that the ice called home

jetboil and rainwater at the ready

slam the door and sit in woods

so heavy

sleep overnight

sneak out after light

kiss girls and slight moves to twenties

then what is the path for me to 

just sit and be, find some peace

time slows down and all I have to figure 

is how to own the woods, 

to maneuver the wheels 

and leave them there for fifty years

 until discovered, 

a child wonders how it got there

and climbs in 

to tug at the wheel

imagine gauges spark to life

rattle the shift lever

and dream of being big. 

(Photo by Michelle Castleberry)