Thrush:

100 KIMBERLY O’CONNOR THRUSH: Winner of the 2008–09 AWP Intro Journals Project, selected by Oliver de la Paz From the French, fourchette, the frog of a horse’s foot. Songbird, a robin or blue one, brown-backed with breast spots. Or a kind of whitish rash. The frog of a horse’s foot—hooves in the west pasture, hoarse chorus surging from the marshes. Or bird, a thrash in the shadow of brambles edging the threshed field; a blue one, or the robin, brown-backed, bright breast, calls from the willow branches. Wind wet in the shallow grasses, hoarse chorus surging from the marshes, thrash in a tangle of brambles, spring shower splashing down. Rush of the rising creek. Over the creekbed, passing shadow, cabin window. Spring downpour, then the drowning. Then the drying, thrush in the mouth or the branches; flash of the spade, silver, thrust in the damp pasture. ...