(a Golden Shovel)
Straw Dog Writers Guild’s
WriteAngles Conference
“Through the Thicket of Thorns Stories Grow”
rising creakily from the straw
an aging farm dog
struggles to follow horses and riders
as in prior years. sun gilds
eastern hills with its early morning rite.
a slanting beam of light angles
across the conference
of mists floating above ponds and through
dense woods. at meadow’s edge, the
russet prey hides in his thicket
lying low until the noise of
rushing hounds chases him from thorns
and baying voices tell stories
of conquest, as day begins to grow.
Since 2012, Carla Manene Cooke has facilitated writing groups in and from her home in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her poetry appears in the literary journals Emulate, Silkworm, Persimmon Tree, Meat for Tea, Starry Starry Kite, Naugatuck River Review, and Wordpeace. She is a freelance copy editor, wordsmith, and 2022 Pushcart nominee.