mud dauber nests
Author: Dave Bonta
I live in an Appalachian hollow in the Juniata watershed of central Pennsylvania, and spend a great deal of time walking in the woods. My books of poetry include FAILED STATE: HAIBUN, ICE MOUNTAIN: AN ELEGY, BREAKDOWN: BANJO POEMS, and ODES TO TOOLS.
ice-bound forest
the raven’s
circling croak
skinned alive
by a porcupine
sweet birch
hoarfrost
my breath freezing
to my beard
whale-shaped drifts
the weight
of my snowshoes
melting snow
for tea
time alone
below zero
converting my loneliness
to metric
fisher tracks
the swaying shadows
of trees
high wind
losing parts of words
two-day snowstorm
rodent teeth find
something to gnaw
sleep deprivation
a small bird’s shadow
crossing the snow
snowpack
the afterlife
of ghost plants
