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Jennifer Clark
Almost a lullaby on this cold night
(Explore more of her work in her new pamphlet of poems A Balloon Called Young America
available now from O:JA&L’s Buttonhook Press. Click the highlighted title to follow the link.)
She has learned to make use of everything.
The sap trough serves as a cradle.
She lays the baby in the hollowed-out log.
The cabin swept clean, day’s chatter tucked away—
only the wolf family howling about something—
she allows herself a sigh. Outside the cabin,
a panther prowls the night.
Tomorrow’s arms will stretch long and warm
and hug the drowsy trees. With sap stirring
in rousing bellies, soon it will be time to tap.
For now, she rocks the sweet to sleep.
About the writer:
Jennifer Clark is the author of a children’s book and three full-length poetry collections. Her latest book, Kissing the World Goodbye (Unsolicited Press), ventures into the world of memoir, braiding family tales with recipes. She lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Explore more of her work in her new pamphlet of poems A Balloon Called Young America available now from O:JA&L’s Buttonhook Press. Click the title to follow the link.
Image: Mountain Vista with Cabin by William Louis Sonntag Sr. (1822-1900). (Cropped to avoid showing stain on source image.) Oil on canvas. 36 x 56 inches. Before 1900. Public domain.
OJAL Art Incorporated, publishing since 2017 as OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) and its imprint Buttonhook Press, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation supporting writers and artists worldwide.
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