SWWIM sustains and celebrates women poets by connecting creatives across generations and by curating a living archive of contemporary poetry, while solidifying Miami as a nexus for the literary arts.

Deer Cutting

 

It's #tbt! Enjoy this great one from SWWIM Every Day's archives!

 

 

trees are hinge-cut

                                                & left to bow              

                        to the wind       

to sever                                                                                                 

                                                            & where the new growth begins            

            stump-sprouts           at deer height

for feeding      for thicket building                                         for quail & rabbit to hover 

            thickets &                                thickets & thickets     through the forest

 underbrush to nurture & protect            

                        young leaves the most nutritious                                                         

                                                                                                                        but read on

this is done for hunters                        bait for a sure thing                             an easy shot

            when the thickets are full 

                                                            let’s say I could still save us

let’s say at the hinge cut        in cross hairs                           whatever bloomed                                   

                                     would feed us

 

 

Ann Dernier is a poet, and managing editor at Kore Presscurrently on sabbatical. Her collection, In The Fury (Grey Book Press) was a finalist for the Robert Dana Anhinga Prize for Poetry and a semi-finalist for the Crab Orchard Series for Poetry First Book Award. She received an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Poems, publications and more at anndernier.org.

 

Natural Birthing Class

bitter melon