stone age burial
beside
the young mother
her stillborn
nestled in the wing
of a swan
:::
amulet
by the boy’s hip
a flint knife
just as if
he had lived
to be a man
:::
safe passage
scores of teeth
from red deer and boar
red ochre
scattered
from a blessing bowl
:::
spirit world
all but their bones
and finery
flown away
with the messenger
of the gods
A California resident and poet for more than 40 years, Cynthia Anderson is the author of 12 books, most recently Arrival (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2023). Her poems have been published widely in journals and anthologies, and she has received multiple nominations for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Her recent work focuses on the natural world and her family history. She is co-editor of the anthology A Bird Black As the Sun: California Poets on Crows & Ravens (Green Poet Press).
Author’s website: www.cynthiaandersonpoet.com
