What Rough Beast | Poem for June 18, 2017

Karen Hildebrand
Parade of the Republic

We ate nothing but salmon that summer.
Caught it wild, prowling at the foot of the falls.
The silvers would swim madly, right up
to our furry butts and flop from the clamp
of our jaws. We ate them right there

still squirming, a long strand of innards
slurring our chins as we lumbered off
to relax at the edge, rising only to ward off
any who would challenge. Let the sows fend
for their scrawny cubs downstream.

 

Karen Hildebrand’s recent poetry publications include, “Steve Bannon Visits the White House” (What Rough Beast, Indolent Books), “Benefits (in the voice of Kellyanne Conway)” (Maintenant 11, Three Rooms Press) and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” (Portable Boog City Reader). “A History of Feminism,” forthcoming in great weather for MEDIA’s anthology, was a finalist for the 2017 Disquiet Literary Prize. In 2013, her work was adapted for the play, The Old In and Out, produced in NYC. She lives in Brooklyn and is chief content officer for Dance Magazine.

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