In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

  • Field Lesson, and: The Unavoidable Pigeon
  • Kristen Tracy (bio)

Field Lesson

A tractor tills the soil using heavy blades,   while nine mice turn in their autumnal nest.

Nine blind mice. I counted them, then covered them   with a layer of hay. What can I help

that I am a simple child? The world   has shown me its lessons: here, here, and here.

Lambs in the field. Chops on the plate.   Knives dismantling the hills deer by deer

after the gun goes bang. And there is so much more   to learn. The John Deere tumbles down the field.

Behind it, a dust cloud rises. Nine blind mice   meet their nine blind ghosts. Tossed

from this world like salt over the shoulder. The things   we kiss good-bye make room for all we kiss hello. [End Page 569]

The Unavoidable Pigeon

I see it on Cabrillo, midway through the crosswalk.   Some people spot an injured pigeon   toppling down the street and think,

Good riddance. But how can I think that?   I know this bird. I’ve seen it before.   Balboa. Anza. Clement. Its wounded

foot lifted high into its feathered body.   No, I will never take this bird home.   I root for it in other ways. What a survivor!

I pass it on the way to the post office,   parading like a governor in a bright   patch of sun. Don’t worry. This bird

will never break my heart. Not right now.   Not tomorrow. Not next week when I find it   hammered to the road. Poor bird.

A ruptured viola. All of its red strings   pulled out of it. Even with big dreams,   a pigeon can only survive so long

on these streets. Had it asked me, had it   been a reasonable being, I would   have warned it to stick to the sky. [End Page 570]

Kristen Tracy

kristen tracy has written numerous novels for young readers, including Lost It, Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus, and Project (Un)Popular. Her poems have appeared in The Threepenny Review, TriQuarterly, and Prairie Schooner. Her book Half-Hazard was chosen by the Poetry Foundation for the Emily Dickinson First Book Award and is forthcoming from Graywolf Press.

...

pdf

Share