Grayson, MO

The houses squat together,
singular testaments to
giving up.

A line in the dirt,
in and out and
not much more.

Dealership high on the hill,
more trucks than
residents in the town,
post office maximum occupancy:
five in a pinch.

It’s a good place to go
if money’s not a concern,
and you never want to be found.

James Benger is a father, husband and writer. His work has been featured in several publications. He is the author of two fiction ebooks: Flight 776 (2012) and Jack of Diamonds (2013), two chapbooks of poetry: As I Watch You Fade (EMP 2016) and You’ve Heard It All Before (GigaPoem 2017), two split books of poetry, Little Fires Hiding (with Jason Baldinger) (Kung Fu Treachery Press 2018), and Against The Dark (with Tyler Robert Sheldon) (Stubborn Mule Press 2019), and one full-length solo book of poems, The Park (Kelsay Books 2019.) He is a member of the Riverfront Readings Committee, and is on the Board of Directors of The Writers Place in Kansas City. He is the founder of the 365 Poems In 365 Days online poetry workshop and is Editor In Chief of the subsequent anthology series. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and children.