Poetry by Troy Schoultz

      Franklin Campbell CC




​Belief in Angels

The name “Buddy” is etched on a chrome bone
And enclosed in wings on the tailgate of the red Dodge pickup
We’ve been stuck here in neutral 
For what seems like an entire afternoon,
Waiting on the flagman to flip his stop sign 
To a cautionary “slow.” 

The scent of fresh asphalt burns nostrils, and heat
Distorts the horizon and rises to rival the sun . 
The same truck
with the tailgate memorial to Buddy also has a bumper sticker
which informs me that angels are, in fact, real.

This world will numb us of all wonder if allowed.
I hope the decal is true, but what would the truck’s owner make
Of Old Testament angels? Faces of both man and lion, 
Swirling eyes, limbs of bronze.
Enough to make anyone expecting pink cherubs 
or golden-haired, dove-winged sexless heralds to fear.
I rub my eyes trying to keep a headache at bay, trusting
In the truth of tailgates,
Imaging God’s hands wiping away this mirage
Awakening my sight to a hill dense with horses
Pulling chariots aflame,
Lifting to a heaven
Where even Buddy, perhaps,  will be waiting.

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Troy Schoultz is a lifelong Wisconsin resident. His poems, stories, and reviews have appeared in Seattle Review, Rattle, Slipstream, Chiron Review, Santa Monica Review, Adirondack Review, Palooka and many others in the U.S. and U.K. since 1999. He is the author of Biographies of Runaway Dogs (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, 2017), No More Quiet Entrances (Luchador Press, 2020), and co-author of Remnants (Luchador Press, 2021) with visual artist Amie Brownfield. Troy is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, and has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campuses. He is also an analog collage artist, and hosts Mr. Troy’s Lo-Fi Motel Radio Hour on Oshkosh 101.9 FM. He currently resides in Oshkosh, WI (USA). He can be reached at [email protected].