Talkeetna, Alaska
Salmonberry scat piles
In the middle of the trail
Mountain goats, moose on permafrost
Fireweed ice cream in town
Otter eating crabs—sleek pashas of the harbor
Glaciers calving, blue thunder
Seals sleeping on the narrow
paying us no mind
In the Pacific
We are temporary
The orcas—a matriarchy—
The biggest mommas’ boys around
The captain of our one-day cruise tells us
Her sons stay with her their whole lives
At the roadhouse with the bathroom
Down the hall, I couldn’t sleep
I keep thinking of her like that—arched in midair
Her white markings ablaze.
by Sarah Stern
Twitter: @SarahStern3
Editor’s Note: Imagery at the opening of this poem slowly gives way to a subtle tension and wonder as the narrator’s voice comes to the front during the last four lines.
Leave a Reply