Buds furled tight until they open—purple, yellow, rose, a sky blue. The irises grow supple and green like goddesses. The goddess Iris brought the souls of women to the Elysian Fields. I imagine my soul in a dawn where the dead are newly alive, having shed their […]
Joannie Stangeland
Joannie Stangeland is the author of several collections, including The Scene You See (Ravenna Press). Her poems have also appeared in The Pedestal Magazine, New England Review, Birdbrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds, and other journals and anthologies. Joannie holds an MFA from the Rainier Writing Workshop.
Regarding Shear
That a roof over every head shelters. That stresses compress or tension the trusses. That inspection figures the load, the bending. That a shear diagram and a moment diagram are not the same as living in the moment. And this shear has nothing to do with sheep, the wool shaved off the body. […]