My first contribution:
The Aggressive Squirrels of Roosevelt Island
by Christine Hamm
we wear special lenses to see what lurks underneath the oak leaves
we have pulled our hair back tightly with leather bands -- they can nest anywhere
we are here to capture the reason
we have tweezers, chloroform
glass jars the size of a head
a gold pen for notation
a green one for classification
we watch our ankles
we keep our bags closed at all times
we do not sit underneath the inviting trees to rest
we use hip waders or heavy rubber boots and socks infused
with a tincture of iodine
we do not touch peanut butter for at least a week before entering the island
at dusk, we try to remember Sheila, who was
dragged down a hole
we plunge forward, keeping our purpose always foremost in our minds
when in doubt, we jump into the river
we remember, as we sink, that the tails only look soft
and if they pause to lift an offering from our palm
the gentle brush of their tiny nails only lasts for a moment
we convince ourselves that moment is not sweet
without hesitation they will gnaw us anew
fill our skull with walnuts
toss our toe bones back and forth with their teeth
their infants are the size of our thumbs and not quite as soft
as our down comforter on the other island, the one we’re starting to forget
we have left behind our candy, our lavender deoderant
and the ones too weak too run
according to our guide books, one bite does not cause much scarring
we are not much afraid
we have practiced by running short distances very fast
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Sunday, December 3, 2006
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Where Writing Members of Women's Studio Center
can post their writing, ideas, readings and events.
To become a member of Women's Studio Center please visit our web site - see the link under Resources.
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