Winterkill

Cottonwoods by the Quarry

But they tried.
Long gone, the strength
of the ligaments, curling
thoughts in corners
to fists that never quite clench.
Too yellow. Too dry.
Leaves fall in the season
that action is named for.
The inner ear prepares for it.
Balance. Balance.
But the ear hears.

Reviews

"Catherine Graham's new collection Winterkill completes the trilogy that includes her critically acclaimed previous books Pupa (2003) and The Red Element (2008). Her poems always navigate the difficult paths between grief and memory, between intimacy and strangeness, with a disarming, surefooted grace. These are her most powerful, most affirming works to date."
— Paul Vermeersch, poetry editor for Insomniac Press