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The Long Line of Elk
Written by a well-known short story writer and published by Flooding Island, these 140 poems are presented in response to the author's podcast fans who have asked for this compilation.
Also included is 'Success,' the origin story to the novel Paper Targets.
"I still look for her everywhere. In the city crowds, I sometimes see a face like hers, or, walking in a certain way, a girl with long, thin arms.... But I find her most in solitary places: along the Blackfoot River in Autumn, a place she never saw, where red river rocks sparkle in the low water and dark trout pretend to be shadows...."
The Absurd Grit -
There was a day when I woke up
and knew I was leaving.
The absurd grit had gotten
behind my collar and into the works.
The sky was perpetually dirty,
like an industrial twilight of broken dreams.
People whom I had
tried to love and befriend
had become strange and cruel.
Nothing was right at home.
Even the coffee was bad.
So I left.
Highways became roads became trails.
And along the way there were
emerald lakes and silence.
Like this place I chanced upon.
I thought about calling you
to say that there were no more questions,
but I had lost your number,
and I wasn't even sure
how to pronounce your name.
When I really tried to remember,
I realized that what I needed most
was to forget.
So I did.
And then the coffee,
and everything else,
started to become delicious again.
Steve S. Saroff is the author of over 30 short stories traditionally published in Redbook and other national magazines. He was a drifting runaway before starting several software companies, two of which he sold to public corporations. He is the host of the popular 'Montana Voice' podcast.
"Steve Saroff is a fine writer."
- Rick Demarinis
"Steve, your stories have poetry in them. They are exceptional. Keep publishing them."
- Richard Hugo
Also included is 'Success,' the origin story to the novel Paper Targets.
"I still look for her everywhere. In the city crowds, I sometimes see a face like hers, or, walking in a certain way, a girl with long, thin arms.... But I find her most in solitary places: along the Blackfoot River in Autumn, a place she never saw, where red river rocks sparkle in the low water and dark trout pretend to be shadows...."
The Absurd Grit -
There was a day when I woke up
and knew I was leaving.
The absurd grit had gotten
behind my collar and into the works.
The sky was perpetually dirty,
like an industrial twilight of broken dreams.
People whom I had
tried to love and befriend
had become strange and cruel.
Nothing was right at home.
Even the coffee was bad.
So I left.
Highways became roads became trails.
And along the way there were
emerald lakes and silence.
Like this place I chanced upon.
I thought about calling you
to say that there were no more questions,
but I had lost your number,
and I wasn't even sure
how to pronounce your name.
When I really tried to remember,
I realized that what I needed most
was to forget.
So I did.
And then the coffee,
and everything else,
started to become delicious again.
Steve S. Saroff is the author of over 30 short stories traditionally published in Redbook and other national magazines. He was a drifting runaway before starting several software companies, two of which he sold to public corporations. He is the host of the popular 'Montana Voice' podcast.
"Steve Saroff is a fine writer."
- Rick Demarinis
"Steve, your stories have poetry in them. They are exceptional. Keep publishing them."
- Richard Hugo
- GenresPoetry
165 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2022
4 people are currently reading
443 people want to read
About the author
Steve S. Saroff
2 books364 followersSteve S. Saroff is a former high school dropout and runaway. In his twenties, he survived on fiction published nationally, including several stories in Redbook and other Hearst magazines. His new short stories continue to be widely published in literary journals and are enjoyed by readers hungry for plot, characters, and the rhythm of words. He is the author of the novel Paper Targets, which spent 3+ months on Amazon Top 100 lists, and is the host of the Montana Voice podcast. Visit Saroff(dot)com and follow @steveSaroffWords
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Read
May 23, 2025published by Flooding Island, these 140 poems are presented in response to the author's podcast fans who have asked for this compilation.
Also included is 'Success,' the origin story to the novel Paper Targets.
"I still look for her everywhere. In the city crowds, I sometimes see a face like hers, or, walking in a certain way, a girl with long, thin arms.... But I find her most in solitary places: along the Blackfoot River in Autumn, a place she never saw, where red river rocks sparkle in the low water and dark trout pretend to be shadows...."
The Absurd Grit -
There was a day when I woke up
and knew I was leaving.
The absurd grit had gotten
behind my collar and into the works.
The sky was perpetually dirty,
like an industrial twilight of broken dreams.
People whom I had
tried to love and befriend
had become strange and cruel.
Nothing was right at home.
Even the coffee was bad.
So I left.
Highways became roads became trails.
And along the way there were
emerald lakes and silence.
Like this place I chanced upon.
I thought about calling you
to say that there were no more questions,
but I had lost your number,
and I wasn't even sure
how to pronounce your name.
When I really tried to remember,
I realized that what I needed most
was to forget.
So I did.
And then the coffee,
and everything else,
started to become delicious again.
Steve S. Saroff is the author of over 30 short stories traditionally published in Redbook and other national magazines. He was a drifting runaway before starting several software companies, two of which he sold to public corporations. He is the host of the popular 'Montana Voice' podcast.
Also included is 'Success,' the origin story to the novel Paper Targets.
"I still look for her everywhere. In the city crowds, I sometimes see a face like hers, or, walking in a certain way, a girl with long, thin arms.... But I find her most in solitary places: along the Blackfoot River in Autumn, a place she never saw, where red river rocks sparkle in the low water and dark trout pretend to be shadows...."
The Absurd Grit -
There was a day when I woke up
and knew I was leaving.
The absurd grit had gotten
behind my collar and into the works.
The sky was perpetually dirty,
like an industrial twilight of broken dreams.
People whom I had
tried to love and befriend
had become strange and cruel.
Nothing was right at home.
Even the coffee was bad.
So I left.
Highways became roads became trails.
And along the way there were
emerald lakes and silence.
Like this place I chanced upon.
I thought about calling you
to say that there were no more questions,
but I had lost your number,
and I wasn't even sure
how to pronounce your name.
When I really tried to remember,
I realized that what I needed most
was to forget.
So I did.
And then the coffee,
and everything else,
started to become delicious again.
Steve S. Saroff is the author of over 30 short stories traditionally published in Redbook and other national magazines. He was a drifting runaway before starting several software companies, two of which he sold to public corporations. He is the host of the popular 'Montana Voice' podcast.
July 3, 2023
This collection contains the short story "Success" which is a sublime account of a teenage runaway.
November 10, 2022
Wow. The story "Success" is phenomenally poignant. Made me cry.
March 7, 2023
So after reading Paper Targets I wanted to check out more from author Steve Saroff. I loved Paper Targets and while I am not one to read poetry very often I really enjoyed this book. The first little short story "Success" was awesome. Keep up the great work Steve and really looking out for more to come.
October 21, 2022
Read this for the story it includes.
September 14, 2024
Enjoy this one from Steve S. Saroff. Slowly, reflectively, and intently.
Lots to take in.
Lots to take in.
March 15, 2023
Searingly Insightful
This brief collection of poetry and a short story is crystal clear in its honesty. They say write what you know. Well, Steve Saroff knows pain and renewal. Just good raw writing.
This brief collection of poetry and a short story is crystal clear in its honesty. They say write what you know. Well, Steve Saroff knows pain and renewal. Just good raw writing.
December 18, 2022
new find
I’m a voracious reader and I love coming across new writers. I originally read Paper Targets won in a contest and was immediately drawn into the story. I was excited to find this book and I see a new publication will be out soon. Fantastic and engaging writing.
I’m a voracious reader and I love coming across new writers. I originally read Paper Targets won in a contest and was immediately drawn into the story. I was excited to find this book and I see a new publication will be out soon. Fantastic and engaging writing.
August 6, 2023
“I woke up/to pumpkin bread/and soft music/from another room,/and no other place/to have to be.”
- from "It Rained All Night"
I really enjoyed this book of poems! I love the often-present theme of finding joy in the simple things, like a cup of coffee :)
- from "It Rained All Night"
I really enjoyed this book of poems! I love the often-present theme of finding joy in the simple things, like a cup of coffee :)
November 1, 2022
I heard this author read on the radio this morning. Usually not a fan of poetry, but this book is more like mini-short-short stories that explain a lot in a very fast way. Loved it.
July 31, 2023
After reading Paper Targets, I wanted more by the same author, which led me to this book of his, The Long Line of Elk. Be warned: it's mostly poetry, but there is a short story that starts the book, which was a heart-felt power of writing. Completely the best thing I have read in a long time. The story, Success, dovetails in an emotional way with Enzi, the enigmatic protagonist of the amazing Paper Targets (which you should read before you try this book). The poems, not usually my thing, were also quite good, and I could hear the stories in them, if that is possible. Will read anything new by this author.
Read
January 14, 2026I wake up to shadow lift
bread that was crazy art
i wake up to fog my mind
enjoy my lost by words
play at red line
crestal clear as spark in yr eyes
as target neve be in right
just in ma heart
just in ma heart
my soul play soft music
in another room in out of place in great galaxy
i fall hard
to have to be
to near to clear
i tast love by search spoon
lifted more hungry
to ma moon
i search y throw red rivir of memory
y gain yr war
i lost for y
bread that was crazy art
i wake up to fog my mind
enjoy my lost by words
play at red line
crestal clear as spark in yr eyes
as target neve be in right
just in ma heart
just in ma heart
my soul play soft music
in another room in out of place in great galaxy
i fall hard
to have to be
to near to clear
i tast love by search spoon
lifted more hungry
to ma moon
i search y throw red rivir of memory
y gain yr war
i lost for y
August 21, 2022
Some good lines
April 11, 2023
Steve S. Saroff is a master of the short story. The story "Success" in this book of mostly poetry, is one of the most powerful stories I have read. The ending knocked me over.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews