- from Even the Trees Yawn
Field Notes Entry
the flood willonly increase
the sexbodies
craving othersthe stomach
flattenedinto the arch
i wantbiblical
factshere
leave themthey will float
leave thema fire is not
inevitablewe expect applause
but that—that is rain
the raingoes
we willnot
let eachother give
at the fallthere is no ark [End Page 213]
because this is notthe flood
this is justlate-winter
& cowslearning
to swimwe will
say youwere born for
waterwe were
madefor land
Field Notes Entry
anthologizethe animals
& the soundsthey make
deersgathered
in the ivycoyotes
in the branch-cavei don’t
knowwhat this means
but if the menchop wood
there will be a purgingof sin [End Page 214]
& the unhumanwill learn
to communicatethough words
februaryis a series
of deadanimals
onporches
& marchis howling
& the highwaybegins
to quietthe alley
lighthums
a foxgloveis not
a foxglovebut an anchor
is alwaysa bird
Field Notes Entry
the water is a thing that is— but the fire is man-made
we search for fires on the rooftops we search for fire anywhere
the warehouse is a flame& out past the spires there are dots glowing
& what kind of plan is thattilted in the water? [End Page 215]
Joshua Young is the author of four collections, most recently, The Holy Ghost People (Plays Inverse 2014), and the chapbook, Sedro Woolley Days: A Damien Jurado Mixtape (Midnight City 2015). He is Editor-in-Chief at The Lettered Streets Press and Associate Director of Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago where he teaches poetry and writing. He lives in Chicago.