Poor Man’s Love Song

Abstract

Poor Man’s Love Song Shann Ray (bio) Is there anything pureanymore? Not me,I know. But you well, yes, hell yes you arepure sweet vintage is what I hearsung in hardwood cathedrals from way back,the sound going on forever andso good to the ear, like medicine soothe my soul soft sweet pure swishpure honey money swish snap whap thwapsweet sweat rhythm deep fade swish three thunder on the mountain wherelightning strikes, so let it rainpure money swish coin cash love light that light that match so it rainsfire pure fire en fuego fuegofire on fire so every forest blazes pure true cotton cash moneycotton cash money honeyswish sweet cold cash money cotton honey, honey honey love, honey pure love pure honey love. [End Page 177] Shann Ray Shann Ray’s collection of short stories, American Masculine, received the American Book Award, the High Plains Book Award, and the Bakeless Prize. He is also the author of the debut novel American Copper; a work of political theory, Forgiveness and Power in the Age of Atrocity; and Balefire, a poetry collection. His work has appeared in McSweeney’s, Montana Quarterly, Narrative, Northwest Review, and Poetry. He spent part of his childhood on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeast Montana and has lived in Alaska, Canada, and Germany. A systems psychologist focusing on the psychology of men, he now lives with his wife and three daughters in Spokane, Washington, where he teaches leadership and forgiveness studies at Gonzaga University. Copyright © 2015 University of Nebraska Press