Sculptor

Tomorrow I’ll throw this thirst    who sits heavy in my chest—widen my mouth to smile    out his weight. Today though,I lust for his leaden presence,    how he urges my lungstogether like a kiss, the...

the end of the affair

crept   crawled   |   dragged   its   knees   | stabbed elbows into polished   |   wooden floors  |  eyes fixed on climax   |   between crumbs  ...

Cassava Pone

Mama’s quick to crack these brown, hardened backs, snappin’ ‘emand crackin’ off the tail-ends of these tubers, checking for isolatedimperfections – and she’s quick to inspect ‘em, making mad stacksof lonely, rejected vegetables ‘til she finds cassava flesh so white...

Coal Pile

Not enoughgo back outsays DadIt’s colderwettermore snowGo back outget moresays DadWe lug ourmetal pail tothe coal pileUnder whitewith spadeswe chip at blackLittle comeshands red and numbwe dig A current MFA candidate at Wichita State University, S.H. Woodgeard lives...