for Victor Clevenger
just south of muskogee
dumpster cats guard crumbling pyramids
& discarded bbq grills
in the moonlight
the creek nation girls still dance
in honor of their own virginity
covered in dust
& humble bones
yelling free bird lives
free bird lives
here everyone is loyal
& your breath just hangs there
as heavy as a cloud
& apartments are shaped
like tombstones
& the outline of a girl’s hips
in the shadow of a lonely gas station
can still transport you back
to a better time.