WHY I WRITE
In the forest, we were not able to
see the trees.
My teacher put them in his suitcase
and walked into the night.
When he got to the edge of the world
he turned and pulled up the road
cracking it once, like a sheet or whip.
He held it under his chin and folded it right.
I pointed. This is the way out of here
but there were no roads.
I pointed. This is our forest
but there was nothing.
The crickets said something that I will not repeat
Six jeweled piglets lapped at the droplets of my brow.
Seven azure swallows brushed their wings against my shadow.
T-shirts are silent, cotton, and easy to launder.
—Gary Barwin
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Forthcoming in Vallum Magzine