this is big country
with a big sky
and great big shoulders
each boot print springs back
forgiving green-gold tundra
alders like herds
bear grass and sockeye
this river and her stones
are not waiting for me
not looking over her shoulder
as she leaves around the bend
there’s a canyon upstream
if you can believe it
lasting artifact of ice
where she springs to run wild
belly full of char and grayling
wolves, moose and bear too
at least their tracks say so
fireweed and fall’s beginning
as far as I can see
this is what was
if I follow
of course I will follow
so will my undoing
Matt Smythe from the Finger Lakes region of western New York. An Army veteran and lifelong outdoorsman, Matt suffers from an inability to sit still. If he’s not in the woods, or on the water, he’s scheming ways to get there. His work has appeared in Free Range American, Gray’s Sporting Journal, the Fly Fish Journal, The Drake, Southern Culture on the Fly, Revive, Midcurrent, TROUT Magazine, and a handful of other non-outdoors-related magazines and literary journals. He recently published a book of poetry with Dead Reckoning Collective titled Revision of a Man.
Follow Matt’s blog, Glorious Mayhem here.
What’s happening at VetRep…
Listen to our latest episode with Lois Hicks-Wozniak on the Savage Wonder Podcast, where we interview incredibly talented musicians, artists, writers, and theater professionals, who also happen to be veterans.
The parlor is back! Our first show of the season titled “Dunkirk…and Other Surprises” is a feature of seven veteran authored 10-minute plays. Join us for an evening of both drama and comedies, accompanied by dessert and a refreshing mocktail! Seating is limited and shows sell out fast, so get your tickets here.