Last September, you taught me how to identify yellow birch trees by tasting the bark. I had no idea it would be so sweet & wintergreen, or that the strips would curl like paper ribbon in our hands. We jumped in zig-zags, aiming for unmuddied spots on the trail to keep our boots dry. We […]
Anna Ellyn Wagner
Anna Ellyn Wagner is a Minnesotan poet and librarian. She graduated with a BFA in creative writing from Hamline University and has been nominated for Best of the Net, Best American Essays, and a Pushcart Prize. Her work appears in Faultline Journal, Reed Magazine, Eastern Iowa Review, and elsewhere. Although she can’t stand the cold, she braves it for her dog, Samwise, whose unbridled joy at the sight of snow makes every day worthwhile.