© All Rights Reserved 2026 | Privacy Policy
Tax ID / EIN: 23-7441306
Skyline of Las Vegas
Real news. Real stories. Real voices.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Supported by
We are experiencing technical difficulties with our transponder in Elko, NV. Our engineers are currently working on the issue. For uninterrupted listening, tune in via the live stream on knpr.org or listen on the NPR App.

"Shoes off": a poem by James Collins

Some dark nights I drift out my window,

Where the streets are long strings

of red and white pearls,

Each one humming.

 

And sometimes

I'll get as far as the outskirts.

There the hills clench the city

Like a burning shield.

 

But from how far I went this dark night,

Twelve million and one street lamps

Were only a cheaply sequined dress.

Worn by the mountains,

Tossed under bullet hole stars.