Lenore Rowntree
Blowdown

Teepee of fallen black spruce
oregon grape picked clean
one bare stalk signals
the end of this—this
—oh, you know, when two
or three people get under
the covers of golden maple
scattered on the forest floor,
and lichen the colour of mint julep
makes us walk the forest in stiletto heels
naked, singing La Bohême
loudly and huskily, bawling
our way into the neighbour’s dreams,
setting the crows into a scolding frenzy
because we leveled the trees,
slaughtered those under the covers
and left only one option
but to jitterbug on out
naked, in stiletto high heels,
so we can pick each other clean
in a teepee of fallen black spruce.

<< return to the Table of Contents for New Series #5: Summer 2018, Volume 3 Number 1