Labor Day: "On the Recovery of Jimmy Hoffa's Body"

05 Sep Labor Day: "On the Recovery of Jimmy Hoffa's Body"

by David Feela

Twenty-four years is a long stretch
to stay out of sight — that’s four times
six years deep.  A lot of time
on your head.  All the while we speculated
how it happened in the end, the mob
and the union bosses being so hard
to tell apart.  But really, I’m glad
to hear the news, Jimmy, cement overshoes
or not.  So what if you were a heavy
drinker, or you pissed a few people off
who buttered your bread.
America kept your story floating
through all the waiting and
who would have suspected the East River
in New York except, perhaps, that dredge
of mysteries, the National Enquirer
where your name still blazes, today, all caps,
headlined for the rack of every supermarket
checkout line from California to, say, the East River
in New York.  People remember, especially
those older ones, you know, the ones
who paid their dues, who showed up at work
though they never heard from you.
Yes, we’re glad you finally surfaced
so we can be done with you
and go on looking
for those lives we misplaced,
searching for our own uncertain graves.

    –from David Feela’s The Home Atlas, WordTech Editions, 2009.
    See David’s website at http://feelasophy.weebly.com/

David is a Colorado poet who resides in Arriola, Colorado, a small rural community north of Cortez. Recently retired from a 27-year teaching gig, David was a former “Colorado Voice” for the Denver Post. He worked for over a decade as a contributing editor and columnist at Inside/Outside Southwest magazine and now contributes occasional pieces to High Country News and writes a monthly piece for the Four Corners Free Press. David's words have appeared in hundreds of regional and national publications. His first full-length book of poetry, The Home Atlas, is now available.