by Amanda McLeod
Emily Dickinson Stacking Stones
Assorted hopes
become fallen cairns.
Best to attend sunrise
services out on the porch
just in case my Higher Power
is conversing with birds.
There they are—
bobolink and sparrow
perched on branches
in the gigantic oak
towering above my windows
under the sky we share.
I select stones,
smooth flat-bottomed
or with three facets of connection,
then come out to rebalance
stones of resilience
to mark home that is also journey.
Mary Ellen Talley’s poems have been published in many journals including Gyroscope, Raven Chronicles, Ekphrastic Review, Deep Wild, and Banshee as well as in numerous anthologies. Her poems have received three Pushcart nominations. She has two chapbooks: Postcards from the Lilac City from Finishing Line Press and Taking Leave from Kelsay Press.
Amanda McLeod writes and makes art on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country in Canberra, Australia. Her words and art can be found in many places both in print and online, including at Wild Roof Journal, Meniscus Literary Journal, and others. She’s been quietly working on a collection of hybrid essays about nature and connection in between visits to her favourite creeks and rivers. Find her on the socials @AmandaMWrites.