on the complexities of a hillbilly

[Stalwart]

she boards the bus with a suitcase
full of broken earrings,
torn stockings,
and kitchen knives.
she sits at the front,
does not cross her legs,
uses both armrests when she sits down.
she looks at the bus driver with eyes pilot light blue
under glasses she can’t afford,
slipped into the back pocket of her jeans in the Walgreens bathroom stall,
along with something for those headaches she keeps getting
from the ugly brown tap water she drinks.
she is full of dust and cold wind,
her hair smells like wheat grass and exhaust.
she has weaponized her accent.
she is from somewhere haunted,
somewhere with hotels built
on bulldozed graves.
on the soles of her shoes she has coal
and gasoline
and blood,
and it is not hers.
she has mountains under her fingernails,
she plays clawhammer banjo,
her teeth ache
from the number of times she has swallowed the word “stupid”.
she is tired of your shit.

I really enjoyed this poem! With a little work and extra revision, you'll have a poem that relates an image very well.

Some of the line breaks were a little too contrived, if you understand my meaning. I would have written these lines this way:

on the soles of her shoes
she has coal, gasoline and blood;
it is not hers.

I don't know if there was specific artistic meaning in the way it was written, to me, it was a little awkward.
I think you should consider how you use your lines breaks. Don't make arbitrary choices, make meaningful ones. Maybe you did, and I just didn't get it.

I also think you can go over your sentence structure and word usage. Should it be "and it is not hers" or "It is not her own" or "the blood is not her own."
The first few lines from "broken earrings" to "Kitchen knives" in the beginning seemed a little awkward too, but I can't place my finger on why.
Maybe try using other items she could own; items with names that roll off the tongue better when spoken to be more poetic.

Otherwise, I really liked your poem! It was interesting and painted a complete, and perhaps even more than complete, picture of a hillbilly. I saw every detail in my mind's eye; as a writer or poet, you've accomplished your mission if your reader can say that. Good job!