Angela Ball

Field Dressing
April 20, 2023 Ball Angela

Field Dressing

 

Dispatch animal
humanely. Even briar trees
shiver mercy.

 

Hang body to drain,
as mountains hang
their glaciers, their moraines,
their dashed pebbles.

 

Grasp with both hands
at rib cage. Squeeze
all of your strength

 

towards stomach. Bend
forward. Fling carcass
between your legs.

Angela Ball’s most recent book of poetry is “Talking Pillow.” She teaches in the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where she lives with her two dogs, Miss Bishop and Boy.