Begin with a single stitch.
Take a switch of willow
and tie it to a stone.
Weave blades of sawgrass.
Add a crown of hawthorns
on a Sunday morning.

For eyes, two poison berries.
Various feathers for hair.
A mouth like a sinkhole.
Wear a dead man’s jacket.

Next, enter the cornfield
at the height of August
and plant a fishbone
in the sweltering earth.
Imagine the upstart crows
and a valley of weather.
Place your arms into the air,
as if holding up the moon
or light’s gracile embrace.
Put your mind under this cap.
Dream of thunder and harvests.
With your very first breath,
become someone.

By Bruce McRae – Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada

About the Author

Bruce McRae, a Canadian musician, is a multiple Pushcart nominee whose poems have been published in hundreds of magazines, such as Poetry, Rattle and the North American Review. The winner of the 2020 Libretto Prize and author of four poetry collections and seven chapbooks, his poems have been broadcast and performed globally.

Feature Photo by Ariful Haque

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