[our ragged idea]
[crowned with legendary tales]
[shimmering heads]
[saturate duckweed and cattails]
[red gular sacks]
[lacy loops of spins]
[spindly flaps and leaps]
[muddy toes stamp]
[tasty tidbits fleshed out]
[left to memory]
[what could pivot away]
[marshes bogs betrayed]
[our defense only feathery]
[less drainage]
[more repair]
[chick]
[chicks chicks]
[song saturates]
[cattails]
[duckweed]
—
In 2023, Rikki Santer was named Ohio Poet of the Year. Her forthcoming collection, Shepherd’s Hour, won the Paul Nemser Book Prize from Lily Poetry Review Books. Please contact her through her website, rikkisanter.com.
