{"id":13692,"date":"2019-04-30T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/two-poems-by-nicholas-molbert\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T12:50:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:50:21","slug":"two-poems-by-nicholas-molbert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2019\/04\/30\/two-poems-by-nicholas-molbert\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Poems by Nicholas Molbert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-765c4724 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-facebook  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61556140010887\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.5 2 2 6.5 2 12c0 5 3.7 9.1 8.4 9.9v-7H7.9V12h2.5V9.8c0-2.5 1.5-3.9 3.8-3.9 1.1 0 2.2.2 2.2.2v2.5h-1.3c-1.2 0-1.6.8-1.6 1.6V12h2.8l-.4 2.9h-2.3v7C18.3 21.1 22 17 22 12c0-5.5-4.5-10-10-10z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-instagram  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/boudin_mcneese\/\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12,4.622c2.403,0,2.688,0.009,3.637,0.052c0.877,0.04,1.354,0.187,1.671,0.31c0.42,0.163,0.72,0.358,1.035,0.673 c0.315,0.315,0.51,0.615,0.673,1.035c0.123,0.317,0.27,0.794,0.31,1.671c0.043,0.949,0.052,1.234,0.052,3.637 s-0.009,2.688-0.052,3.637c-0.04,0.877-0.187,1.354-0.31,1.671c-0.163,0.42-0.358,0.72-0.673,1.035 c-0.315,0.315-0.615,0.51-1.035,0.673c-0.317,0.123-0.794,0.27-1.671,0.31c-0.949,0.043-1.233,0.052-3.637,0.052 s-2.688-0.009-3.637-0.052c-0.877-0.04-1.354-0.187-1.671-0.31c-0.42-0.163-0.72-0.358-1.035-0.673 c-0.315-0.315-0.51-0.615-0.673-1.035c-0.123-0.317-0.27-0.794-0.31-1.671C4.631,14.688,4.622,14.403,4.622,12 s0.009-2.688,0.052-3.637c0.04-0.877,0.187-1.354,0.31-1.671c0.163-0.42,0.358-0.72,0.673-1.035 c0.315-0.315,0.615-0.51,1.035-0.673c0.317-0.123,0.794-0.27,1.671-0.31C9.312,4.631,9.597,4.622,12,4.622 M12,3 C9.556,3,9.249,3.01,8.289,3.054C7.331,3.098,6.677,3.25,6.105,3.472C5.513,3.702,5.011,4.01,4.511,4.511 c-0.5,0.5-0.808,1.002-1.038,1.594C3.25,6.677,3.098,7.331,3.054,8.289C3.01,9.249,3,9.556,3,12c0,2.444,0.01,2.751,0.054,3.711 c0.044,0.958,0.196,1.612,0.418,2.185c0.23,0.592,0.538,1.094,1.038,1.594c0.5,0.5,1.002,0.808,1.594,1.038 c0.572,0.222,1.227,0.375,2.185,0.418C9.249,20.99,9.556,21,12,21s2.751-0.01,3.711-0.054c0.958-0.044,1.612-0.196,2.185-0.418 c0.592-0.23,1.094-0.538,1.594-1.038c0.5-0.5,0.808-1.002,1.038-1.594c0.222-0.572,0.375-1.227,0.418-2.185 C20.99,14.751,21,14.444,21,12s-0.01-2.751-0.054-3.711c-0.044-0.958-0.196-1.612-0.418-2.185c-0.23-0.592-0.538-1.094-1.038-1.594 c-0.5-0.5-1.002-0.808-1.594-1.038c-0.572-0.222-1.227-0.375-2.185-0.418C14.751,3.01,14.444,3,12,3L12,3z M12,7.378 c-2.552,0-4.622,2.069-4.622,4.622S9.448,16.622,12,16.622s4.622-2.069,4.622-4.622S14.552,7.378,12,7.378z M12,15 c-1.657,0-3-1.343-3-3s1.343-3,3-3s3,1.343,3,3S13.657,15,12,15z M16.804,6.116c-0.596,0-1.08,0.484-1.08,1.08 s0.484,1.08,1.08,1.08c0.596,0,1.08-0.484,1.08-1.08S17.401,6.116,16.804,6.116z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Nicholas Molbert<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>On Highway 56, the Last Thread Dangling Cocodrie Over the Gulf of Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The truck wheezes and rattles<br>as potholes knock our knees<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">to our chins. It\u2019s been years since<br>we\u2019ve come back here. It looks ka-put,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">like Cindy pranked the town,<br>a surprise 52 card pick-up then<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">a snarky ha-ha. The storm touched<br>down days ago, left a cocktail reek<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">of creosote, catfish carcass, and shrimp<br>heads, then shook off the rest over<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">the Midwest. The camp that crowns<br>our lane shrinks in the window<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">as we drive past, stripped<br>to five pilings, five tombstones<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">for who-knows-who, one huge hand<br>of five middle fingers<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">but it\u2019s hard to see, to say<br>exactly because the truck<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">kicks dust so even what\u2019s<br>behind us is blurry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>What We Are Given and What We Make of It<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We are given a bank of willows and white clover,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">and lay there in patience\u2019s test, as if silence<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">were the yardstick on which we measure our affections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I pick one claw of clover and set it across your upper lip<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">where you smoosh it under-nose as makeshift mustache,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">as invitation to say Stick \u2018em up or spark a cackling laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We are given this bank, and as the willows cast shadows<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">of wigs around us, I am reminded we can hold ourselves<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">still in places of indecision. I cannot say why I wish<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">the clover pillowing your head could not be my arm,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">or why the honeybee blinded by the tease of clover<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">under your nose could not be my testing lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Originally from New Iberia, Louisiana, <strong>Nicholas<\/strong> now lives and writes in Central Illinois. He has work published in or forthcoming from American Literary Review, Cincinnati Review, Missouri Review, Ninth Letter, Permafrost, and South Carolina Review among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>__________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"438\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg 438w, https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">&lt;&lt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2019\/04\/02\/two-poems-by-david-kirby\/\">Back<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2019\/05\/06\/three-poems-by-romeo-oriogun\/\">Next<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">To learn more about submitting your work to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/boudin-submissions\/\">Boudin<\/a><\/em> or applying to McNeese State University&#8217;s Creative Writing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/mfa-application-submissions\/\">MFA program<\/a>, please visit Submissions for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nicholas Molbert __________ On Highway 56, the Last Thread Dangling Cocodrie Over the Gulf of Mexico The truck wheezes and rattlesas potholes knock our knees to our chins. It\u2019s been years sincewe\u2019ve come back here. It looks ka-put, like Cindy pranked the town,a surprise 52 card pick-up then a snarky ha-ha. The storm toucheddown days&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[253],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boudin-2019-spring-edition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13692"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22530,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13692\/revisions\/22530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}