Fall/ShortGrain
Editor: Kent Bruyneel
Volume 32 Number 2, Fall/ShortGrain
Fall: Caroline Woodward, Rhona McAdam, Brenda
Schmidt, Chris Casuccio, Maureen McCarthy, Christine Lindsay, Richard
Simas, Jan Horner, Miranda Pearson, John Lofranco, Sheri Benning, Donna
Kane, Donna Kane, Michael Trussler, Emily Cavanagh
ShortGrain: Barbara Simler, Shane Book, Nancy Baele, Kelly Dignan,
Barbara Klar, Gunilla Norris, Clint Uhrich, Susan Siddeley, Lucius Furius,
Patrick Tobin, Kitty Hoffman, Tracy Hamon
Excerpts
from Fall
by Caroline Woodward
O
brother, I tried to pace myself, to keep
enough air deep in my ten year old lungs to yell:
Hurry Home Come Quick
I ran across our fields, praying, praying
to the hard empty sky I said: don't take him
he's too little he's too young
he doesn't even know what he's doing yet!
I'll be good, God, I won't zyck
about doing the dishes every single night
I won't be mopey anymore just don't take him okay?
I wailed: Leave him alone, you hear me? Please?
I
ran all the way that hot summer
couldn't walk more than six steps, no sir,
I ran, leaping thistles, jumping rocks
sinking to my ankles in drought-dry loam
puffs of dust hanging in the air
behind my bare heels & I wished the horses were at home,
not grazing down on the river breaks
I could have galloped
the race of my life for your life
on Babe's brown back, a proper hero but no
I had to run and I ran
like blazes my tough little feet flew for you &
there were only minutes to spare they said
