Loblolly Pine In A Field Of Hollyhocks By Vievee Francis

Photo: pete/scavenger (flickr)

Huge loblolly pine tree.

Brown as a mule, I stomped
through the flocking geese
who thought themselves swans—
but a mule knows its opposite
and so did I. They were no swans.

from Horse in the Dark

Vievee Francis, is the author of two books: Blue-Tail Fly (Wayne State University, 2006) and Horse in the Dark (Northwestern University Press, forthcoming 8/31/2012). Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies, including Best American Poetry 2010. She is currently an Associate Editor for Callaloo.