Saturday 18 June 2011

Elkins, NH by Terri Muuss

Black fly season peaked
in June. My brother and I
would wade up to our thighs, digging out fresh-
water clams with eager toes. Moist patches
of skin on my cheeks, I feared the
uneasy murk under my feet. In these silent
hours, we never talked
about the tiny spaces between
the wood slats of our childhood.
We were always more comfortable
with the sinking
our ankles made into rotting sediments
of lake and the buzzing
of mosquitoes circling
our heads. We’d stoop down
to catch striders and wait
for the inevitable sting.


Terri Muuss, USA

11 comments:

Crafty Green Poet said...

Terri Muuss is an actor, poet, teacher, director, social worker, and life coach. She is the writer and performer of the one-woman show Anatomy of a Doll, which she performed for the past twelve years at numerous theatres, conferences and universities throughout the US and Canada. The show received grants from NYFA and Poets and Writers for its initial performances and also received The Daily News’ “Best Theatre-Pick of the Week”. She was the co-producer and host of the monthly poetry series Poetry at the Pulse for two years in NYC and has read her poetry at many venues. She teaches the workshop “Youth Development Through the Written Arts,” which addresses the therapeutic uses of writing when working with teens, at many schools and conferences including Rutgers University. Terri teaches acting, dance, and playwriting to children and adolescents and is a private acting coach for adults. She is also a private life coach and motivational speaker and a certified self-defense instructor. As a licensed social worker with an LMSW, she specializes in group work and addiction and abuse counseling. www.terrimuuss.com

Anonymous said...

I could feel the cool mud under my toes and hear the incessant droning of hungry insects in my ears.

CMDoran said...

aahhh! the black fly...you took me back to my childhood on a trip to the U.P. [upper penn. of Mich]. I nearly got carried away by them that summer.

thank you for writing.

Athena Reich said...

Amazing writing. Beautiful images. So clear.

Samantha Caiola said...

Terri,
This is so moving. I especially love the "tiny spaces between the wood slats of our childhood" line.
-Sammy C

Dartford Warbler said...

This poem captures a childhood experience so well.
Images that pull in all the senses.

Leslie said...

So beautiful, and so indicative of the things said and unsaid between siblings...

Anonymous said...

perfect words.

Kay Middleton said...

I really liked the line "spaces between wood slats of our childhood" and the realization that you did not talk about them. This is the sort of discovery that good poetry contains. Kudos!

Anonymous said...

I dont really like mud under my toes but I did like this poem. Read more beautiful poems here at SharingPoetry.com

buy rift account said...

WoW! what an amazing work. . love this one.=0