By the Light of a Neon Moon: Poetry out of Dancehalls, Honky Tonks, Music Halls, & Clubs

by Janet Lowery (Editor)

Overview

If, as Philip Larkin says, poetry preserves the memory of the human race, we believe that sweet, smoky, gritty memories of scooting boots across dusty dancefloors in honkey tonks deserve to be part of that record. This collection offers memories of love found and of love lost. There are verses about line dancing and mechanical bulls, crusty bartenders and jukeboxes whining out two-stepping songs full of pedal-steel guitar. And, of course, the collection won’t be complete without a few crying-in-your-beer poems too.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948692120
Publisher:	Madville Publishing LLC
Publication date:	05/24/2019
Pages:	90
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.22(d)

About the Author

Janet Lowery's poetry has been published in journals such as Poetry East, Greensboro Review, Concho River Review, and in anthologies such as Mutabilies Press's 2015 Untameable City and the 2011 Improbable Worlds (edited by Martha Serpas); Texas in Poetry 2 (TCU Press, 2002), the Poetry East collection Who Are the Rich and Where Do They Live? (2000), and Women's Blood (Continuing Saga Press, 1981).

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction vii

I—Neon Light

Beloved, After These Things - Alan Birkelbach 1

Like People in Love - Kimberly Parish Davis 2

A Thing About Rhumba - Gianna Russo 3

Pretty Woman - Luanne Smith 5

Not That Sally - George Drew 8

Dear Will’s Pub - Pj Metz 9

Rose-Colored - Janet Lowery 11

Old Flame - Winston Derden 13

Music for Arms Like Ours - Mike Schneider 14

Oh, That Buckskin - Christine Cock 16

Dancing Fool - John Grey 18

Always Open - Karen Head 19

Words from My Father - karla k. morton 21

One Way Traffic - Alan Birkelbach 22

Dancing at Dirty Frank’s - Lisa Naomi Konigsberg 23

II—Neon Signs

The Bull Rider - Katherine Hoerth 27

The Archaeologist Dreams of Sleep - Kimberly Parish Davis 28

Chevy Pick-Up, Loaded - Ed Ruzicka 29

Integration 1964 - Dave Parsons 31

Dalliance - Ruth I. Healy 32

Triple-Two at the Dance - Janet Lowery 33

Prickly Pear - Katherine Hoerth 34

Partner - Sarah Cortez 35

You Ain’t the First Singed Hash Browns on My Plate - R. Gerry Fabian 36

Just Believe Her! - Alan Birkelbach 37

Rodeo Exchange - karla k. morton 38

Back - Juleigh Howard-Hobson 40

I May Not Be Drunk, But I’ll Get There - Herman Sutter 41

Your Dancing Lessons Didn’t Pay Off - J. J. Steinfeld 42

Little Heretic - Gerry LaFemina 43

Waiting for Resurrection - Leah Mueller 44

Always - Anusha VR 47

The Way We Danced Before I Became Another Ex in Texas - Laurie Kolp 48

Dancing with a Cue Stick - George Drew 49

Death at the Dancehall - Janet Lowery 51

Two Dogs Howling at the Moon - Dave Parsons 53

Resurrection Mary - Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda 56

III—Neon Hearts

Standing on the Edge of the Roadhouse Charybdis - Alan Birkelbach 59

Dancing Before - Lesley Clinton 60

Zydeco Shindig - Dolores Comeaux 61

Friday’s Dance - Mike Schneider 62

Road House on the Way to Cheyenne - Rick Campbell 63

Guitar and Mandolin - Gerry LaFemina 64

Dress Code at the Dance Hall - Alan Birkelbach 65

Here at Ransom’s Saloon - George Drew 67

Hard Wood - Jerry Bradley 68

Bootstrap - Winston Derden 70

6 a.m. Outside the Dance Hall - John Grey 72

Empties - Gerry LaFemina 73

Contributor Bios 75