Tani Arness

She stood blackened, not like ink or coal but like
the depth of the well.

Shining beneath the glisten of water,
she sang to the sparrows until they came to her.

She emerged from the dark
with two arms extended, covered with crows.

Her eyes curved beneath the weight of long nights;
it took a thousand snow geese to lead her back to the surface.

The trees, one by one, bowed to her:
four-plated, etched, hand-colored.

Tani Arness, originally from Poulsbo, WA, is grateful to have travelled in over 30 countries before settling into beautiful Albuquerque, NM. After earning her MA in Creative Writing from the University of NM she enjoys writing and teaching poetry each day. She also writes creative nonfiction essays. Currently she teaches poetry to high school students at Cesar Chavez Community School. Her poems and essays have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, most recently in North American Review, Green Mountains Review, Rhino, Red Rock Review, and Adobe Walls.

Listen to one of her poems here.

You can find her on FB or write the Guild for more information.

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