2 December 2004 | Vol. 4, No. 4

Cookout

Halfway to wilderness behind our house, on a tray I carry the ingredients for our supper. Our campsite—a ring of fieldstones, surrounded by twelve contemporary Victorian vinyl-sided wildflowers sprung up in a sudden season of homes.

I shake myself, like salt to season a rack of veggie burgers grilling with halves of sweet red peppers.

A young male bear seeks a mate in a shopping mall. A homeless bluebird lances the light in bewilderment. A wind shift wraps me with a furry paw of smoke.

About the author:

Sandra Graff lives with her husband and two young children in view of the Shawangunk Ridge in New York State. She is a part-time instructor of English at SUNY Orange. She has published a poetry chapbook, Girl in Garden (Finishing Line Press 2002), the title poem of which was nominated in 2002 for a Pushcart Prize. Her work has appeared recently in Cider Press Review, Blueline, and Crab Creek Review.

For further reading:

Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 4, No. 4, where "Cookout" ran on December 2, 2004. List other work with these same labels: poetry, prose poem.

42opus is an online magazine of the literary arts.

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