The Clear-Cut

Over this open wound
Where noon kilns pine slash,
Nighthawks roar at dusk.

I came here wanting nothing
But for once to meet the river
Empty, patient as nightfall.

How blessedly I failed,
Laughing with the yellowthroats
At last night’s desperate dreams.

May Evening

The swifts are back—
Sparkly chatter rains
On quiet schoolyards.

A limb that arched bare
Over last week’s sidewalk
Now sags in my path, 

Burdened with lilacs.

Photo by Tyler Jamieson Moulton on Unsplash.

Andy McGlashen

Andy McGlashen is a senior editor at Audubon magazine. He studied English and environmental journalism at Michigan State University and lives in East Lansing with his wife and two dogs. Website