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K.E. OGDEN

After The Veteran in a New Field by Winslow Homer, 1865

Afraid, you embrace me, pull me to your
banished place. In dreams, rows of wheat wither

in orange bursts, in clusters of spaghetti
strands. A man is bent--knees bent, elbows bent

toward his body. Across his back, X
of suspenders; a belt buckle reflects

red dirt. After this long embrace, you might
wake for wood for fire. I draw the curtains.

I watch you twitch when I touch your arm—watch
your chest rise, moving with each shallow breath.

Bio: K.E. Ogden grew up in Baton Rouge, Honolulu, and San Francisco, and currently makes her home in the Los Angeles Area. She directs the Writing Program at the University of La Verne and is an area coordinator for the California Poets in the Schools. She contributes a weekly column to the Kenyon Review Blog. Visit her on the web at www.eatthepaper.com.
© 2008 University of La Verne