24 February 2008 | Vol. 7, No. 4
Packing List
Washed from my hands
a thin film after shelving
jars filled with leeches the pond
lilies green stems so when
the time comes to extract
bad blood mixing with the good
I feel nothing but their teeth
until I finger them to the floor
& they curl like autumn leaves
at the pond's edge where a boy tosses
a box turtle thirty feet into the air
& I might remember the sound of it
landing on rocks I gathered wood
to burn in the fire I might
just remember the fire.
About the author:
Rob Schlegel's The Lesser Fields was selected for the 2009 Colorado Prize for Poetry. His work has appeared in New American Writing, Octopus, Volt, and elsewhere. He teaches writing in Iowa City where is co-editor of The Catenary Press.
For further reading:
See the complete list of work by Rob Schlegel at 42opus. Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 7, No. 4, where "Packing List" ran on February 24, 2008. List other work with these same labels: poetry.
