[Tour] The Interim - Knoxville

For a day where nothing happened, a LOT has happened.

Woke up bright and early. 9 in the morning. Before too long, Frank, Bernard, and I were headed to Loretta Lynn's Buffet (she comes there to eat sometimes, they say). Now, I'm ashamed to admit this, but I had absolutely no idea who she was at all until last year. Danny Miller told me about her, and Regan and he were both kind of amazed I didn't know who she was.

If I didn't then, I do now. The place was decked out in all manner of Loretta Lynn memorabilia; tapestries, posters, a Crisco ad (discussion with Frank about how his family just called it lard), all kinds of stuff. But I don't want to get ahead of myself. The bacon was heaven. If ambrosia were a dead pig, this was it. There was also blueberry pancakes and eggs. But let's be honest, you know there's something earth-shattering going on when you mention blueberry pan

cakes in such a terse manner. Earth-shattering is what that bacon was.

We checked out the store some and looked at the merchandise with all the confederate flags on them (yay the South. A little bit like buying an LA Raiders sweatshirt isn't it?). Nothing else happened in the restaurant than that, besides Frank making us feel like asses by first making us honestly believe he was a little bit offended that we would ASSUME he knew who John Colbert was, and then listening to us spend a good 5 minutes explaining the show to him before he chimed in with more information than anyone ignorant of the show could possibly be aware of. Same ol same ol.

Oh. One more thing. Outside Loretta Lynn's is a giant buffalo, our totem animal. It actually looks directly down at the hotel we stayed at. Well, turns out the city we're in? Buffalo. Serendipity at it's best. What's more is that we had stopped (Frank's car AND Ricardos) two separate times, without planning it or knowing it, at this same location earlier in the trip. Ridiculous.

So we got on the road, talked a lot, and watched the country-side pass by; all hills and trees and confederate flags and warnings from God to make sure we don't go to hell.

We eventually made it to a Staples where I bought a super long stapler for making my own chapbooks from scratch to save money. It was Frank's idea, but don't tell him I'm not still claiming it as my own.

We eventually made it to Crowne Hotel. Frank had said it was "Crowne with an e" and for whatever reason, that made me think it was going to be rundown imitation of a real hotel sort of place. Not even close, this place is amazing. Apparently schools have money. My money, in some cases.

We all went to eat at Applebees, then back to our rooms. We

went to a bar called Library within the hotel, and Bernard and Bianca drank a bottle of wine and I drank a Shirley Temple (a man's man drink) and oh how we talked. About everything. One of my favorite moments

of this trip; I learned all about Bianca

being inducted, about Bernard's experiences with the Governor's school, opinions about writing, suggestions for reading (I took notes. Seriously) and everything in between.

We went up, then, to Bianca's room and talked a little more, watched terrible reality TV, and I wrote, while Bianca and Bernard worked on their chapbooks. It's now 3 in the morning and in the past 2 days I've had less than a full night's rest, grand total, but I present to you first Bianca's second day writing prompt and my poem, written today, only an hour ago:

Prompt: Create an Affrilachian (the region, not the poetry group) Genesis story. Include a regional hero. Reference James Weldon's "The Creation"" for an example.

The No. 4

"John Henry's woman heard he was dead,

She could not rest on her bed,

She got up at midnight, caught that No. 4 train,

"I am going where John Henry fell dead." -John Henry Folk Song

In the beginning there was God

we know this much

but there was also the devil

not quite at the start but close enough.

he filled the air like a hacking cough

simmered on the ocean and made it flat

slunk deep into the earth

and taught worms to eat the dead

and before too long he became bored

with breaking his own things,

and got to thinking.

the devil is nothing if not patient

so he waited quietly

before too long God became restless

created children in all his images

turned his face and made more

scattered most like pebbles onto his beach

tilted His head, squinted

then took another handful

pushed the first around,

placed stones in lonely places

matched them like a mosaic

and nearly satisfied saw a bareness

and planted black diamonds in the hills.

he told them about the devil

who was allowed to walk the earth

for his punishment was futility

and all was content for a while

like the scream of a fiddle

rising slow and firm

the devil came out to play

spent time unrushed

listened closely

listened especially closely to the women

who kept their burdens in their bellies

or when they were full on their backs

listened for so long man forgot about him

then waited still longer for women to follow

He came to them in a dream

his breath hot and wet in the air

his body serpentine and shining silver,

he stampeded with measureless speed

came to them first as inspiration and then incarnate

bowed before man as their servant.

the devil bore into the earth for them

hollowed the corpse of it maggot-like

just as he had before their time

but moving now where man gave him road

only followed their trails

for the illusion of being fettered to their will

The devil's plan was to grind clockwork slow

gorge himself on the silt and clay flesh of the land

allow man to see the apple red skin of things

while burrowing ever deeper, eating at the insides.

he had planned for so very long,

tested the waters until they were waters no more

now crawling in the womb of the mountains

where the world pulsed

when like lightning a black diamond fell

from where it lay trapped by great burden

falling now, every face of its maker glittering

like sunshine

the diamond hit the ground of the tunnel

folded out of itself like a cornhusk doll

lifted the hammer in its hand

and struck a fork into the tunnel

which rung as the the devil's first challenge,

scared the devil for the first time

for this man was not frightened himself

had already made much time in his journey

entering the heart of earth

pounding his hammer so hard that the devil was shaken

and for the first time forced into action

stone was beaten until it weapt

each tunnel sinking deeper and deeper into the earth

the devil laughing to himself at his speed.

he thought about those first dreams he had crept into

about how man still dreamt about him

when he hungered to move mountains

how this black rock of a man must dream of him now

even as he must trail behind the gaping wound

left in the devil's wake.

the devil had seen seasons grow old

and water beat stones to dust

had seen all things in all ways but was still

unprepared when he found himself falling

like a star into the fires

the only man who had never shown him fear

falling ahead of him, beating him even now

and laughing the way down.

He had beat the devil to the core

dug into the devil's path and made it a pitfall

all in the time it took the devil to gloat

and as the devil fell to his new home

dreamed not of the devil

dreamed instead, of being free

dreamed he held hands with his wife

never dreaming one thing

that up above on the shores of the land

she had caught the number 4

sharing as she always had in his burden

even now as she raced to catch her husband

in the fires