by Tony Schanuel
In the winter we are the winter
we are the body and we are the trail. we are
the gray overhang of branches and the
indifferent winds of winter. we are the ice beneath
our boot and we are the boot, too. we are the
hallow name and voice. sing it back once,
and again. we are oak leaves and their rattle.
we are gray skies and we are the sun low
on the horizon. the dream and barred owl.
we are the hunt. we are the hunger. we are the
burrow and the frozen marshlands. we are the silence
and the breath. the heartbeat and the
sudden stillness. we are the paralysis of sleep
and all restlessness. we are the grouse and the nest.
the track and kill. we are the call out
and we are the listen. we are all migration
and return. we are the memory and the fog that sits
low in the valley and the valley.
we are the body and the cry and each second gone.
Eric Huff (he/him) is a poet and public-school teacher living and working in the west metro area of the Twin Cities. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in publications such as 1913: A Journal of Forms, Rockvale Review, Curator Magazine, In The Sky She Floats, and The Forge Zine. Instagram @ MrEricHuff.
Tony Schanuel is an award-winning photographer and visual artist who has fused a professional background in photography, digital technology, painting and mark making to create fine art that transcends those mediums. His work has been featured in Digital Imaging Magazine, Computer Graphic Magazine, Wild Heart Journal, St. Louis Design Magazine, and is a featured artist in Cyber Palette and Extreme Graphics, two books showcasing digital artists and their work. He has exhibited at the Florence Biennale and his art is held in private and corporate collections including the Fine Arts Museum of Houston permanent photographic collection. http://www.schanuelphoto.com.