She tried to fly when she fell in love ++++++with Mary Martin as Peter Pan,
visible harness and all. Jumped off rocks, ++++++then trees. Only one broken
bone to show for suspended disbelief. ++++++Dreamed of wings sprouting
from shoulder blades, toes webbing like ++++++the swan brothers in Anderson’s tale.
She would be one of them, willed herself not ++++++to bleed, to stop breasts from budding,
hips from curving. Not the sister on shore, ++++++sewing nettle coats with bloody
fingers. She would not be sentenced to earth ++++++with one wing.
is the author of the poetry collections Odd Mercy, Waving Back, No Simple Wilderness, and Finding the Bear. Her poems have been widely published in journals and anthologies, including CALYX, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, and North American Review. Among her awards are the Charlotte Mew Prize from Headmistress Press, the Narrative Poetry Prize from Naugatuck River Review, and the Massachusetts Center for the Book’s “Must Read” award.
