Students from Jane Thielsen’s writing 242 Poetry class submitted their works to The Broadside for publication.
Juniperus
By Mary Nelson
Fenced in with dry sage and bitterbrush,
An ancient Juniper stands guard
Over rocks and dust –
Juniperus…its name sounds more like a Greek warrior
Than this twisted beast of a tree;
Gnarled prickly branches splay outward
Fingering the cobalt blue sky,
While clusters of tiny birds flit about
Pecking at the dusty blue berries…
I envision the ancient tree at night,
A sliver of a moon perched over one shoulder
And a sky-full of stars overhead;
Perhaps a coyote pauses beneath it to listen,
Head cocked slightly,
For the soft sound of a mouse scurrying
Through the dust at its feet;
Juniperus – silent guardian of rocks and time –
In the century of years you’ve watched
What beauty have you witnessed?
Laundry Room
By Isabelle Williams
Peanut butter
Mouse, Dead.
