My First Night at the Goose

My first night at the goose
I saw a woman head down
Eyes closed
Her tears hadn’t come yet
She seemed like she had broken up with god
And god had broken up with her

But I knew they’d get back together
Like two kids parked in a ford
Overlooking Lake Story
Under the harvest moon

And I said to the young man,
Black hair, black suit pressed fine
Where you from?
— Omaha
Whats in Omaha?
— A good sleep,
In the war I never slept once
In Omaha, my life there,
I sleep like a baby.
Home is home.

The woman looking out on boulder
She looked up from her scribbling
Took a deep breath, surfaced.
What did you learn, I asked?
— The love of a good woman is enough.
That’s it?
— That’s it. Well, a notebook, a good cup of coffee,
And the love of a woman.
Yep, I said, that seems like enough.

My first night at the Goose,
I saw a world and it was good.