It gets dark early and dark
gnaws. Like the furred squirrel
of my mind, coiled and crouching,
with its jagged tail less shadow than
once half-gnawed, darting and
shivering with senseless pauses,
startled still in front of the barreling
trash truck — should’ve should’ve—
freezing in front of the black
dog’s open jaws.
Shelley Puhak is a poet and writer from Maryland. Her essays and articles have appeared in publications like The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and Virginia Quarterly Review; been anthologized in Best American Travel Writing; and designated as Notable in four editions of Best American Essays. She’s researched and written about everything from Soviet purges to marginalized medieval queens. The latter is the topic of her nonfiction debut, The Dark Queens (Bloomsbury 2022). Shelley is also the author of three award-winning books of poetry. The most recent is Harbinger, a National Poetry Series selection (Ecco/HarperCollins 2022). Her poetry has appeared in journals such as Cincinnati Review, Missouri Review, Shenandoah, and Verse Daily and been awarded the Anthony Hecht Prize, the Towson Prize for Literature, and two Maryland State Arts Council grants.
From Harbinger (2022) and reprinted with permission from Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Shelley Puhak’s latest book is Harbinger. Visit with her and her work at the Miami Book Fair 2022 on 11/15 at noon. Virtual / MiamiBookFairOnline.com. Cover art by: Paula Russell.
Welcome to SWWIM Every Day’s preview coverage of Miami Book Fair (MBF) 2021! The poets whose work you’ll be reading every weekday from October 25 through November 12 are just a few of the many authors from around the world participating in this year’s MBF, the nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. They all look forward to sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas both in person and online. Between November 14 and November 21, new poet conversations and readings will be launched and available for free on miamibookfaironline.com (in addition to other content). For more information, visit the website and follow MBF on Instagram and Twitter at @miamibookfair and use the hashtag #miamibookfair2021.