Though somewhat useless when it comes
to earthquakes, plane crashes,
your father’s accident on Route 5,

she can still foretell entire
towns underwater. Can find a quarter
at the bottom of a well simply by

the sound of its falling. After all,
who can guess what the body
is capable of? What dark swimming

lies within? The ache in her calves
indicates snow, while in her dreams,
the tunnels beneath the city fill

with river. Deliver businessmen
and housekeepers, still clutching
their morning coffee as the pipes

beneath her floor sweat and moan.
And who can say the water doesn’t sing
to our bodies like something lost,

salt and membranes thickening.
Or that, in French, the word for rain
isn’t terribly far from to cry.  

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Kristy Bowen's work has appeared in various electronic and print journals, including Cranky, Diagram, and Another Chicago Magazine. Her most recent chapbook, errata, is available from her website. She lives in Chicago, where she edits the online zine wicked alice and runs dancing girl press. Her first full-length collection, the fever almanac, is due out from Ghost Road Press this coming November.
E-mail: wickedpen74 at lycos dot com
Websites: kristybowen.net
Wicked Alice
forthcoming book from Kristy Bowen  

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