MEN BEING MEN

at the local golf course
on a knoll near the highway
a small group of men
stand confidently
in their Bermuda shorts
and colorful polo shirts
their focus of attention
is on the course conditions
shot analysis
and friendly banter
about so and so’s wife
the neighbor’s new pool
the price of stock

off a back country road
on a patch of gravel
a country boy
leans on his rusty truck
with the one blue door
his buddy
dressed in various shades of tan
holds an empty red gas can
they exchange downhome banter
about the local fishing hole
john deere tractors
and meth
he punches his friend in the arm
grinning a toothless grin

long plain metal tables
stand ready for chow in prison
tense men sit around the tables
mostly making no eye contact
because like tom cats
it could send the wrong signal
they grip their forks tightly
around other tables
it might be different
the way they hold their forks
that is
at some roadhouse
perhaps eating a juicy ribeye
but no rib eyes here
mostly processed foods
protein sources
and a few vegetables
but they’re hungry

farm hands
gather for supper
after a hot day of combining
in a South Dakota dusty field
platters of crispy fried chicken
massive bowls of hot mashed potatoes
piles of farm fresh sweet corn on the cob
and butter – lots of butter
and tall glasses of iced tea
this is freedom

soldiers hunker down
in heavy Army green tents
their M4A1 Carbines close by
lightweight gas-operated
magazine-fed rifles
grateful for long awaited care packages
filled with Twizzlers
tiny sewing kits
playing cards
socks
snacks
stamps, envelopes and paper
morale is cautiously lifted
smiles and laughter are guarded
as more dust and bombs
burst in the distant hills

Brenda Linkeman is a poet, artist, and child therapist, known for her poetry collections “This Unexpected Life” (2022), “Birds in Flight” (2024), and upcoming book, “Loose Ends” (2025), all published by Spartan Press. She has also published poems in literary journals like The Gasconade Review and Literary Revelations Press. Her work is inspired by people, the universe, and observations of nature, particularly birds, and the health of the planet. She resides in a renovated green farmhouse in Missouri with her two cats, and a dog. She enjoys regularly participating in local poetry readings and open mic events.