Christopher Stolle
Caw Cough Phonies I: Article 1A clap of water—A wing unfurling to catchA wayward duckling II: Article 2An echo of light—An electric moment shockedAn uplifting wound III: Article 3The courage of crowsThe murder of tremolosThe ache of silence First Day anticipationan unopened message holding mysteries insidereverence a feeling unkemptcourage forgivenessweak but undaunted roaring into unknown firesto save a little boywho must now grow up and be the manin a different house Reading Myself Resolvedfor Robert Lowell Chewed this morning’s newsAnd couldn’t swallowA world incessantly burning But this fire smolderingLike fog suffocating sunriseFeeds arable soil damp With rain-licked embersDropped by scarecrowsFinding compassion and leaving Birds to perform natural selectionOn crops planted by experienceAnd neglected by dreams Caught between teethAnd never given voiceBut still imprinted delicately Like scars left from itchingOr etching fingernail hopesInto skin that knows every language But only speaks with this touchImpressed by dormant wantingsFor this moment to come alive Christopher Stolle’s poetry has appeared most recently or is forthcoming in Flying Island, Branches, Tipton Poetry Journal, Indiana Voice Journal, Plath Poetry Project, Black Elephant, The Poetry Circus, Smeuse, The Gambler, 1932 Quarterly, The Ibis Head Review, and Sheepshead Review. He works as an acquisitions and development editor for Penguin Random House, and he lives in Richmond, Indiana.