By Jack Joseph Smith
Original Scan
AI Interpretation
The speaker recalls stripping cascara bark and taking it to market by the Eugene railroad track, along with stolen wine and pocket knives.
The speaker recalls sadle shoes, pocket knives and a choice between running with words and fighting. The companions had stolen wine before taking bark to market. The opening Dresses on the street does not identify wearers or describe garments.
'Against the tree' recalls a group of young companions: 'We stripped cascara, our feet in sadle shoes / Our pocket knives sleek and sharp', laughing 'about ecogoly very quiet'. They sell 'the bark on the market, / along the Eugene railroad track', and the page ends with 'We had already stold the wine / It was just xheese for your shit, / we were gettinh back'.
The poem is a compact memory of rough youth, mixing woodland work, petty theft and bravado. Its list-like lines and blunt closing slang keep it unsentimental, while the choice 'to run with words, or to fight' hints at the speaker's path. The many source typos and odd spellings add to its hurried, unpolished texture.