News Poetry: Upslope Downfall

Orange fall leaves on the ground
Kit Hedman

Brilliant trees
drop
their gold.
Today’s Supreme Court
nominee
Yesterday’s boozy rapist

Humphrey’s voice
for civil rights against
his Southern colleagues
only to take
the progressive teeter
to Johnson’s Texas totter

At a too perfect fall wedding
McRedeye lent an arm
to the bride on the upslope
only to be cast out of
Telluride’s cathedral vestibule
after ceremony & signings

Life rafts of aspen leaves
Castaways underfoot
like rice like old applause
alone with what’s been done
As on the way up
so coming down


Photo credit: Kit Hedman
Kit is a professional photographer based in Denver, Colorado. While serving as a photographer in the US Army, Kit realized his passion for capturing history in the making. Currently Kit has a successful portrait studio and avidly works on personal projects. His work has been published in Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, The Miami Herald and various Smithsonian publications. He also freely gives his time and talent to charitable organizations such as The Heart Gallery and Senior Support Services of Denver.

Art Goodtimes is an American poet, farmer and politician in Colorado. Goodtimes was first elected to the San Miguel County Board of Commissioners in 1996 as a Democrat. He switched to the Green Party of Colorado in 1998 and was re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. He is a noted poet and writer of several books and the poet laureate of the Telluride Mushroom Festival. He grew up in California and graduated from San Francisco State Universityin 1970. He has also served as co-chair of the Green Party of Colorado.