"reach" by Thomas Gillaspy
"Loup County, Nebraska" by Alaina Pepin
I’ve forgotten the sandhill cranes, goldenrod
in my coat pockets, the lake green with spring.
Forgotten your cold feet tucked in the backs
of my knees and your toothbrush on the counter.
You, who had never seen a twister or held prairie grass
in your fists. That summer, I clenched Nebraska
in my teeth like a wad of bubblegum
gone stale, my gums sore and red.
Tuesday afternoons, we hunted snapping turtles,
buried our feet in the bog, waited for a cloudy dusk
that seemed to be the only constant June made of you.
I never got used to the dry heat, the burns on my knees
from the kitchen floor. It seemed our bodies were always
drenched in dust. When you pushed me up on the kitchen
counter, I saw the funnel hit the prairie, gripped
your neck tighter. I turned my head, bent
like cornstalks in the wind. Waited to be flung
across town. To some small, green lake.
in my coat pockets, the lake green with spring.
Forgotten your cold feet tucked in the backs
of my knees and your toothbrush on the counter.
You, who had never seen a twister or held prairie grass
in your fists. That summer, I clenched Nebraska
in my teeth like a wad of bubblegum
gone stale, my gums sore and red.
Tuesday afternoons, we hunted snapping turtles,
buried our feet in the bog, waited for a cloudy dusk
that seemed to be the only constant June made of you.
I never got used to the dry heat, the burns on my knees
from the kitchen floor. It seemed our bodies were always
drenched in dust. When you pushed me up on the kitchen
counter, I saw the funnel hit the prairie, gripped
your neck tighter. I turned my head, bent
like cornstalks in the wind. Waited to be flung
across town. To some small, green lake.
Alaina Pepin teaches middle and high school English in Gold Beach, Oregon. Her work has appeared in, or is forthcoming from the minnesota review, Crab Orchard Review, and Dunes Review, among others.
Thomas Gillaspy is a northern California photographer. His photography has been featured in numerous magazines including the literary journals: Compose, Portland Review and Brooklyn Review. Further information and additional examples of his work are available at: http://www.thomasgillaspy.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasmichaelart/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasmichaelart/
