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By Katie Sawyer

We followed the rainbow but found no gold there where all the trees were
chopped down the land drained of her waters to make room for more ticky-
tacky that lone trillium a bright Star tossed from the heavens to the speckled
ground loamy and rich in the tiny patch of foreSt they decided to spare
peeling the birch bark off the climbing tree scraped knees grit under finger
nails kingdoms blooming in the late afternoon as the neighbor yells from
her kitchen window Stop that you kids these memories snug againSt poison
oak and copperheads my cousin jimmy’s friend he got bit and died quick
where Streams run brown and silty sucking honeysuckle Stamen between
our teeth the air sponge-y with Sticky heat the dogwoods tossing petals like
confetti to the sunburnt grass and soft lulling twang of Stranger children
feral gangly bodies dancing in thunderStorm-wild unleashed bare feet in
warm rain puddles splashing only after church white dresses crumpled on
bedroom floors white skin and black

it’s voice a sing-song
the river calls you home, both

dogwood and maple