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Keith Polette

Pilgrimage

It took me a day to hitchhike across Idaho. Hemingway’s house sits on a sagebrush shelf overlooking the Big Wood River. It is a square house made of concrete molded to look like wood; in each wall is a large window, so the house always looks outward. I had to view the house from afar, since this was the time before the public was welcomed in. Through my telephoto lens, taking photos from the edge of the forest, I felt like I had found big prey. That night I pitched my tent in a local park. Inside I prepared to read some of Papa’s tales. But before I could open the book, thunder clouds, which had been building all afternoon, broke open like a shotgun blast. In the dark, I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of stories rain down on me all night.

after the flood
the watermarks
on her letter

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About the Author

Keith Polette lives in El Paso, Texas. His book of haiku, The New World, was published by Red Moon Press.