In Cahoots

Five card stud and cock rides.
Mole like John Boy. The whirlwind
of surnames. The puzzle is never
quite clear or easy, either all navy
or black. Toothless mouths and reek
musk, Budweiser mouthwash before
funerals. Elongated fingers paralyzed
from knuckles to tips. Suspenders,
red, and white shirt with shovel in cahoots
with the reaper herself. In pictures, his
hand awkward on her shoulder.