Day 17

Nov 17 2023

Another ‘cheat day,’ but actually? I’m starting to think that these aren’t really cheat days but just different than producing a fresh poem. I got a little attention the other day when I posted another in my Elemental series, so I thought why not post another one. It’s been a long day, and a long week, so. Here’s another in the Elemental series. This one is Water.

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Day 17: Salmon Thumb

Willow’s branches, dusty sage, willowfingers, trail

along moving crystal.  River bugs skim milk off the

surface.   Two fish suspend from threads

underneath.

          Five torn-out book-pages float by, soaking

up water, slickly sinking, breaking into ribbons.

Paper fibers shred down the river.

          A trout eats the word “the.”

          This is not a place for humans.

You can tell this was made in grad school—check out the coffee stain.