Poem: From There to Here

A silhouette, stationed at his Dallas valet stand awaiting the healthy, the wealthy, the privileged, the favored.

December 15, 2023, 8:00 AM, CST

A version of this story ran in the November / December 2023 issue.

Above: A parking lot at a luxury apartment complex in downtown Dallas, Texas.

A silhouette, stationed at his Dallas valet stand
awaiting the healthy, the wealthy, the privileged, the
favored. Hugo fled the warfare, mourning the wife
he couldn’t save. Inhales ashes to ashes, exhales.
Breeze beckons dusty grasses and limbs. Inhales
burnt engine oil, exhales. Leather wingtips and
cashmere emerge from a polished Tesla. Inhales
VegaFina cigar, peated Scotch, starched linen,
exhales. Woman steering silver Mercedes presents
herself. Inhales lemon peony, exhales. A limousine
slides to a somber stop. Stilettos, softly knobbed
knees, and a coiled braid materialize. Inhales
Shalimar, merlot, raw perspiration, exhales. Rattling
his reveries as if Bianca’s alive, her nasopharyngeal
carcinoma dead instead. Hugo, the silhouette,
replants his stance.

An ad with the text: When Texas is at its worst, the Texas Observer must be at its best. We need your support to do it. A button reads: JOIN NOW

To submit a poem, please send an email, with the poem as an attachment, to [email protected]. We are looking for previously unpublished works of no more than 30 lines, by Texas poets who have not been published by the Observer in the last two years. Pay is $100 on publication. Poems will be chosen by our guest editors.

<div id="pico">
Above: A parking lot at a luxury apartment complex in downtown Dallas, Texas.

A silhouette, stationed at his Dallas valet stand awaiting the healthy, the wealthy, the privileged, the favored. Hugo fled the warfare, mourning the wife he couldn’t save. Inhales ashes to ashes, exhales. Breeze beckons dusty grasses and limbs. Inhales burnt engine oil, exhales. Leather wingtips and cashmere emerge from a polished Tesla. Inhales VegaFina cigar, peated Scotch, starched linen, exhales. Woman steering silver Mercedes presents herself. Inhales lemon peony, exhales. A limousine slides to a somber stop. Stilettos, softly knobbed knees, and a coiled braid materialize. Inhales Shalimar, merlot, raw perspiration, exhales. Rattling his reveries as if Bianca’s alive, her nasopharyngeal carcinoma dead instead. Hugo, the silhouette, replants his stance.

To submit a poem, please send an email, with the poem as an attachment, to <a href="mailto:poetry@texasobserver.org">poetry@texasobserver.org</a>. We are looking for previously unpublished works of no more than 30 lines, by Texas poets who have not been published by the Observer in the last two years. Pay is $100 on publication. Poems will be chosen by our guest editors.
</div>

Republish this article for free

All of the Texas Observer’s articles are available for free syndication for news sources under the following conditions:

Articles must link back to the original article and contain the following attribution at the top of the story:
This article was originally published by the Texas Observer, a nonprofit investigative news outlet. Sign up for their weekly newsletter, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.”
Articles must include Texas Observer alongside author byline (first name / last name / Texas Observer)
Articles cannot be rewritten, edited or changed beyond alignments with house style books. Partners must notify [email protected] to make style changes.
Photos, illustrations and other art may be available for syndication but must be confirmed.
Promotional materials distributed by your outlet, including all social media work, must include cites for the Observer and our reporter. Outlets must also tag the Observer in all social media posts.
Please notify us by email that the article will be republished at [email protected].

You May Also Like

Will Texas Cities Stay Silent on Gaza?

The Era of EBJ Comes to a Close

How Texas Commission On Environmental Quality Helps Polluters Evade Federal Law