Those of us who were part of the Pueblo Poetry Project, which recently closed after some 40-plus years, are celebrating the life of Tony Moffeit, who recently passed. Tony ran the project for most of those years and also became acclaimed for his work, which included performance poetry.

I’m posting a poem I wrote about Tony, to commemorate his life and work, as part of the celebration of his life.

SEPTEMBER SUN

The time
in the Bronx schoolyard
in the September sun

with Tony and Joel—
straight from Colorado—
the three amigos poets

interviewing each other
on my tape recorder
for posterity

sure as Jack and Neal
driving deep
into the mountains

Us now riding
on the eternal exhaust
of those Caddies

and Packards
cars fat enough
to hold the world

and swing it around
on a chain
or a bola

Today I call upon
that magical September sun
to warm me

as it did in that
Bronx schoolyard
as I deal with my sister

and my dear friend Richie
who now float slowmo
in that exhaust

The same exhaust
that took my
mother and father

the same exhaust
that took Joel’s
wife of 46 years

the same exhaust
that is now
taking Tony

the exhaust
of the world
as seen

from the backseat
of a Plymouth station wagon
on its way out of town

Maybe for the last time

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