Mike La Bonne

CONTACT:
Email: mikelabonne3@gmail.com           

BIO:
Mike La Bonne was born in Marshfield, Wis., and lived there until the end of his freshman year in high school, and then moved to Edgar, Wis. to finish high school. He joined the Marines and stayed for 23 years, including a combat tour in Vietnam. He’s traveled much of the country and has been to seven foreign countries on three continents. He has an AA in journalism, a BS in mass communication, and a BA in human resources management. 

After the Marines, he lived in Indianapolis for 35 years. In 2017, he moved to Florida with his daughter and son (he’s a widower). He’s had several short stories and one poem published in the Florida Writers Magazine and one of his poems earned an honorable mention from Writer's Digest. 

Poetry

The Stranger

He’s 15 and living with foster parents,
a victim of a broken home since grade school.
He boards a Greyhound bus for the long trip 
north to see his mother for the first time in years. 

He’s dropped off at a dusty country café 
in the middle of the day out in the sticks 
where he slips into his favorite pastime: 
blazing guns in a Louis L’Amour western. 

A middle-aged woman plops on the next stool, 
bumping his arm, and asks, “Whatcha readin’ there?” 
He shoots her a curt glance and mumbles, “Western,” 
and keeps on reading without missing a word.

“Ya like readin’ those westerns, do ya?” she asks.
He shoots her another short glance and says, “Yup,” 
then turns away from her and keeps on reading. 
Clueless, she nags, “Who’s your favorite author?” 

Starting to heat up from the interruptions he scowls 
and turns even further away, but she burbles right 
on: “Mine is Louis L’Amour,” and then says, “What’s 
your name and where do you live?” 

Thoroughly irked, he puts his full attention
on her with the thought of telling her to bug
off and let him read his western in peace, when
she smiles and says, “Hello, there. I’m your mother.”