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Bedford Social

Bedford Social

by John Donlan

Firewood's sixty-five dollars a cord:

but, these woods and I work for ourselves

and each other, though it's hard to see

what good I do it, aside from letting it be.

In rippling water a tube of grey mesh flexes:

a cast-off snake skin: the jaws open and close.

High on young wings, a raven yawps,

maybe the one we rescued, cooped in a crevice,

too stooped to fly, the rock stained with days of pings,

weakening, starving, stuck. How real it felt,

rowing him to safe haven, perched on a paddle blade,

his smart, bright eye: "A rich, full life. . . ."

You, reader, must be wondering,

"How do the woods work for him?" Think of the raven

transported farther from hell, by what might kill him

but acts like love. Trust? I'm safe so far.

About this Poem

Find more works by John Donlan in the KFPL collection, or visit his website for more information.

About the Poetry Blackboard

The Poetry Blackboard showcases poems curated by Kingston's Poet Laureate and written by Kingston poets. There's a new poem every month, written by poets living and dead, historical and contemporary, published and unpublished, adults and children, giving full range to the cultural voice of Kingston. Started in 2015 by Helen Humphreys, the Poetry Blackboard has been continued since 2019 by Jason Heroux.

We wish to thank Helen Humphreys, Kingston's second Poet Laureate, for her generous support of emerging and established poets in Kingston through library programming and our Poetry Blackboard project. Throughout her four years as Poet Laureate, Helen curated a digital collection of poetry to showcase the talents of local creators of all ages, both historic and contemporary. Helen also offered several opportunities for emerging poets to develop their craft, offering group workshops and one-on-one mentorship. Her active engagement with the library and community has been greatly appreciated.

In 2019 we welcomed the incoming Poet Laureate, Jason Heroux, who continues to curate the Poetry Blackboard and to develop new community programming.

Previously Published Poems