Lines

written By

October 9, 2019

A Texas summer day
Borders
Like water/rock
Tree/sky
Rope swing/air
Road/sidewalk
Water/air to breathe

My brown-skinned daughters
Swim, play, float, dive, cling

A Texas summer day
Borders
Like current/shore
Clay/solid ground
War/peace
Fear/full bellies
Cold/blankets
Journey/cage
Tyranny/freedom

Brown-skinned daughters
Enter the river
And leave the Earth
Enter the desert

And leave the Earth
And dive and play
In limestone pools
Between earth and sky

Author

Susan Niz

Susan Niz’s second chapbook, Left-Handed Like a Lightning Whelk, is forthcoming with Finishing Line Press (November 2019). Her novel Kara, Lost (North Star Press, 2011) was a finalist for a Midwest Book Award for Literary Fiction. She has a Master’s Degree in Education, raises kids, has been a grassroots community organizer and conserves Monarchs. She recently relocated from Minnesota to the Austin area.

Niz