Where the Land Lies Hard Against the Sea
She kens the moon through sea cupped in her bones
conjures mountains from wind and dust
conjures men from spine and splay of sun
where the land lies hard against the sea
Trees a man could make a buck off were bucked out long ago
what’s left stays low, sinks roots in stone
the weak go home; the rest shed blood
A living ran up these rivers once
and the stones grew green
men made mountains from the bones
I held the sea once, I cupped it to my ear
a woman sang a green song then
and the sun warmed us in a sheltered grove
where the land lies hard against the sea
Scott Stolnack has published in a wide range of forms, including science fiction, travel and adventure writing, book reviews, scientific reports and peer-reviewed research, poetry, and literary fiction. His poetry has appeared in Cascadia Rising Review, Prometheus Dreaming, Cathexis Northwest, and elsewhere. His short plays have been produced in the US and UK. Between 2008 and 2019, he was a senior biologist coordinating recovery of endangered salmon in the Seattle area.
Grand Little Things 