Glen Armstrong<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll be coming around more often.
\n She will blast through
\n the mountain.<\/p>\n
She was away learning that night\u2019s
\n ever-pending arrival
\n was at once a perpetually<\/p>\n
receding destination.
\n (It was all very Zen.)<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll be catching us in our underwear.<\/p>\n
Her six white horses will take turns
\n gesturing with their skulls,
\n their majestic jaws like
\n the bows of ships.<\/p>\n
That young couple with the dreads
\n and foul-mouthed toddler<\/p>\n
will spread the word
\n and organize a potluck.<\/p>\n
Once, the forged iron ring framed
\n an absence over which
\n we\u2019d never quite recover,<\/p>\n
and the worn patch on the lawn
\n led to another worn patch
\n of lawn and so on.<\/p>\n
There will still be temptations
\n and paths leading
\n into the woods,<\/p>\n
but for a little while
\n we will listen
\n to her crimson songs
\n and feel blessed,<\/p>\n
to be part of something
\n bigger than ourselves.<\/p>\n
We will forgive the blacksmith\u2019s daughter
\n for showing up
\n in a miniskirt,<\/p>\n
homemade tentacles
\n sewn to her tight sweater,
\n feathers woven
\n into her long dark hair,<\/p>\n
for drinking too many
\n wine coolers<\/p>\n
and calling her boyfriend
\n on her cellphone
\n in the middle of the event<\/p>\n
to complain that,
\nthis feathered octopus person <\/i><\/p>\n
is not as I expected<\/i>
\n her to be<\/i>.<\/p>\n
GLEN ARMSTRONG<\/b> holds an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and teaches writing at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He also edits a poetry journal called Cruel Garters<\/i>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Glen Armstrong She\u2019ll be coming around more often. She will blast through the mountain. She was away learning that night\u2019s ever-pending arrival was at once a perpetually receding destination. (It was all very Zen.) She\u2019ll be catching us in our … Continue reading