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Writers’ Weir: ‘Rain Forest’

Published 4:30 am Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Spruce boughs hang near a pond in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
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Spruce boughs hang near a pond in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Spruce boughs hang near a pond in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Spruce boughs hang near a pond in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Living in a rain forest

you would think we would have

more than one umbrella.

No, we have seen first hand what

a sloppy Southeaster does

to cloth and a flimsy frame,

turning it inside out, jerking

it from our hand

and tossing it into

Gold Creek.

We face the rain

head on, cold, fresh

and true.

Our jeans are damp,

our halibut jackets never

free of the scent

of wet wool

and there’s talk

our toes grow together.

— Mary Lou Spartz

• Mary Lou writes poetry and plays. She grew up in Juneau and has lived in Fairbanks and Anchorage. She is a charter member of the Burn Thompson Writer’s Group. The Capital City Weekly accepts submissions of poetry, fiction and nonfiction for Writers’ Weir. To submit a piece for consideration, email us at editor@juneauempire.com.