Nathan Kemp
from GNOMIC VERSE
by the tree
the fruit
is known
I transform
into a tree
such a splinter
from such a stick
siesta &
a stolen rib
the wolf
is beaten
the wolf
is sated
& the sheep
are intact
the keeper
of sheep
from the sky
the leaves fall
from me
from GNOMIC VERSE
we divide
the pelt of a bear
not yet killed
if you're afraid
of wolves
don't go
to the woods
everything changes
nothing disappears
we all see
the same sun
but we don't all
have the same fun
you cannot jump
above your head
one doesn't shear
the naked sheep
two bears
don't live
in one lair
I found a ski resort weather marker at a flea market around Pike Place Market while in Seattle for AWP 2014. The sign is from Crystal Mountain Resort in Washington, a place I've never been. The sign reminds me of the mountains while I'm in Akron, a nice, tall place without any mountains.
Nathan Kemp lives in Akron, Ohio. His work appears in Columbia Poetry Review, Jellyfish Magazine, and South Dakota Review, among others. He is a poetry editor for Barn Owl Review, an associate editor for Whiskey Island, and a staff reviewer for American Microreviews and Interviews.