THE POND IN THE CORNER OF THE YARD

It seems so important that I get this right—

memory choked with algae,
memory dried to nothing in the summer,

memory’s post-dawn sky already fevered with desire,
memory’s grass grabbing wet at my hungry ankles.

I remain the same lonely child I was,

never having learned the rules of prayer. Instead I offer
this uncurling body, this frog-song,
tornado-spike, voice-from-the-trees:

the word green
the word green
the word green.

ABOUT THE POET

Amorak Huey is author of the poetry collection Ha Ha Ha Thump (Sundress, 2015) and the chapbook The Insomniac Circus (Hyacinth Girl, 2014). After more than a decade as a newspaper journalist, he teaches writing at Grand Valley State University in Michigan. His writing has appeared in The Best American Poetry 2012, The Cincinnati Review, The Collagist, Menacing Hedge, Brevity, and many other journals.

ABOUT THE COVER ARTIST

The cover is a detail of Alexandra Eldridge's 24x24 inch mixed media painting, "The Field Opens."

Alexandra Eldridge, born of artist parents, received her BA in Art and literature at Ohio University. She co-founded an establishment for the arts, Golgonooza, based upon the philosophies of William Blake. She has had over 40 solo shows, and has participated in many group shows throughout the U.S. as well as many international exhibitions.

BOOKS FROM OTHER PRESSES

Seducing the Asparagus Queen (Cloudbank Books, forthcoming)**
Ha Ha Ha Thump (Sundress Publications, 2015)
The Insomniac Circus (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2014)

** winner of the 2018 Vern Rutsala Book Contest

REVIEWS

reviewed by Kimberly Ann Southwick at Ploughshares blog
reviewed by Donna Vorreyer at The Rumpus.

NOMINATIONS

“The Pond in the Corner of the Yard” nominated for a Pushcart in 2016