Amy Lowell Prize Finalist, selected by Laura Rodley
Brenna Manuel spent her childhood in the suburbs of Detroit. She later moved to the West Coast and received a B.F.A. in Painting at Western Washington University, and her M.F.A. in Sculpture from City University of New York. She lived as an artist and teacher in NYC for many years before moving to rural New Hampshire. She taught Humanities at Franklin Pierce University for sixteen years, and now writes stories and poems in the New Hampshire countryside. Her writings have been published in various journals including The Sailors Review and Barnstorm Journal, and she was a finalist in The Bedford Poetry Competition 2024.
Bog in June
I made the turn and slowed
where two doves held tight with invisible rings
to each other on the wire
above the leaning grass
swallowed by filmy shallow water.
I stopped my car to absorb the touch
of violins and cellos thrusting through
the hazy bog in June. I rolled
down the windows on both sides
to let my car drown in the stream
from singing bullfrog’s throats.
I made a note to pass by next day
to hear the symphony with my son
at 6:10 p.m. precisely.