Tools & Ornaments by Tracy Rice Weber |
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Because of a Michigan Farm Boy
Golden apples in the garden:
while Atlas went for the prize
Hercules held the weight of wanting--
a wedding present to Zeus from Hera.
When he asked me to meet his family,
I’d never seen a Great Lake. In winter,
Michigan orchards whispered white
branches reaching for another season.
There were hardwoods
and quiet waterways
he wanted to show me
between Braeburn orchards.
He pointed to the trees
on Understory Farm,
remembering what he’d stolen--
a broken place in the fence.
Making pies with a grandmother
after school, September
birthday candles
breaking tender crust.
For a sapling to survive
you must wait for the last
hard frost before planting.
In Michigan, spring takes forever.
Eve wanted to sample all
things living. Why wouldn’t she
want to taste the sweet flesh?
Why wouldn’t she give in?
Golden apples in the garden:
while Atlas went for the prize
Hercules held the weight of wanting--
a wedding present to Zeus from Hera.
When he asked me to meet his family,
I’d never seen a Great Lake. In winter,
Michigan orchards whispered white
branches reaching for another season.
There were hardwoods
and quiet waterways
he wanted to show me
between Braeburn orchards.
He pointed to the trees
on Understory Farm,
remembering what he’d stolen--
a broken place in the fence.
Making pies with a grandmother
after school, September
birthday candles
breaking tender crust.
For a sapling to survive
you must wait for the last
hard frost before planting.
In Michigan, spring takes forever.
Eve wanted to sample all
things living. Why wouldn’t she
want to taste the sweet flesh?
Why wouldn’t she give in?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Longtime educator Tracy Rice Weber now teaches Creative Writing and Literature to undergraduates at Old Dominion University and poetry workshops for The Muse Writing Center in Norfolk, VA. A graduate of the ODU MFA Program, her work can be found in River River, The Bangalore Review, on Poets.org as a recipient of the Academy of American Poets College Poetry Prize, and forthcoming in CALYX. In 2021 her chapbook, All That Keeps Me, was published by Finishing Line Press. She lives with her husband and sons in Hampton, VA.
Longtime educator Tracy Rice Weber now teaches Creative Writing and Literature to undergraduates at Old Dominion University and poetry workshops for The Muse Writing Center in Norfolk, VA. A graduate of the ODU MFA Program, her work can be found in River River, The Bangalore Review, on Poets.org as a recipient of the Academy of American Poets College Poetry Prize, and forthcoming in CALYX. In 2021 her chapbook, All That Keeps Me, was published by Finishing Line Press. She lives with her husband and sons in Hampton, VA.
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Publication Date: September 15, 2023
Paperback: $18.00 Publisher: Saint Julian Press, Inc. Language: English Paperback: 84 pages ISBN-13: 978-1-955194-16-7 For an advance copy, contact: Ron Starbuck or Tracy Rice Weber. |
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Saint Julian Press, Inc. * Houston, TX 77008 * Ron Starbuck ~ Publisher-CEO
Email: ronstarbuck@saintjulianpress.com * Web: www.saintjulianpress.com
Saint Julian Press, Inc. * Houston, TX 77008 * Ron Starbuck ~ Publisher-CEO
Email: ronstarbuck@saintjulianpress.com * Web: www.saintjulianpress.com
SAINT JULIAN PRESS, INC. © 2022
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As an Amazon Associate — Saint Julian Press, Inc. may earn funds from any qualifying purchases.
This arrangement does help to sustain the press and allow us to publish more books by more authors.