---

 

This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book “The Beach at Night” Down in the Dirt v212 (10/23) Order the paperback book:

Order this writing in the book On Stones and Bones the 2023 poetry & art collection anthology		get the 182 page poetry & artwork & photography collection anthology as a 6" x 9" ISBN# paperback book:

Order this writing that appears in the one-of-a-kind anthology Instant Karma the Down in the Dirt September-December 2023 issues collection book		get the 422 page September-December 2023 Down in the Dirt 6" x 9" ISBN# perfect-bound paperback book:

Dirt

Lynn Hoggard

Did it taste good?
My three-year-old mind doesn’t remember—
only that I was calling the treats “turtles,”
rounded and shaped by my spoon,
scooped under my grandmother’s house,
built three feet off the ground,
facing the Mississippi River.

How many turtles did I eat?
I don’t remember,
but I ate them over and over
until my mother caught me.
Mortified, she asked the doctor why?
He urged her, unperturbed, to let it be:
Probably something in there that she needs.

Pungent, musty smells,
grit against my palate,
I practiced “dust to dust”
early on. Maybe I could someday
turn to sediment and drift
inside the river until the time
when rivers cease.

Copyright of written pieces remain with the author, who has allowed it to be shown through Scars Publications and Design.Web site © Scars Publications and Design. All rights reserved. No material may be reprinted without express permission from the author.

Problems with this page? Then deal with it...