Mastodawn

reverent gathering of seed

Bird Church
Emily Patterson

#Poetry #EmilyPatterson #Bird #Church #WhaleRoadReview #SundayMorning #Cardinal #Squirrel #Finch

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/patterson-8/

Bird Church

Sunday morning, lateagain, we stand motionless at the front window, car keysand cold coffee in hand. My daughter calls it bird church,this chorus of feathers in tan, black, brown, and white,wings c…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Mar 8

the cloud of dust blinking

Emma at First Base
Robert Fillman

#Poetry #RobertFillman #Emma #FirstBase #Softball #WhaleRoadReview #Father #Daughter

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/fillman-3/

Emma at First Base

Some days I wish I werethe web of my daughter’s first baseman’s glove, the snapof a yellow softball loud in my ears, leatherarms hugged tight around it, muffling the rabid crowdwhen I squeeze it sa…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Mar 3

Maybe it’s a trick

Lake Catherine, Dusk
Jack B. Bedell

#Poetry #JackBBedell #WhaleRoadReview #LakeCatherine #Dusk #Sun #Horizon

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/bedell-3/

Lake Catherine, Dusk

The closer this sun gets to the horizon line, the fasterthe lake flows east &nb…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Dec 30

We kissed like thieves

You, Me, and the Nightstorms
Trevor Patricia Watkin

#Poetry #TrevorPatriciaWatkin #Orchard #Storm #Night #Kiss #WhaleRoadReview

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/watkin/

You, Me, and the Nightstorms

We took the trail past the orchard,past brittle bones clawingwhere apples once fell heavyand foxglove waited under musky husk. The sky was full of something half-divine—a thunderhead that knew us b…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Dec 19

in his favorite La-Z-Boy

Genie
Doug Fritock

#Poetry #DougFritock #Genie #WhaleRoadReview LaZBoy #BarbaraEden #NikeAir #TonyNelson #TurnerClassicMovie #Urn #Father

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/fritock/

Genie

The way Barbara Eden used to loungein her fancy bottle, floppingonto that circular purple sofapiled high with velvet pillows,is the way I imagine my fatherloafing inside of his marble urn.Only inst…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Dec 18, 2025

the shore blushes with dusk

Anniversary Trip—Year 3
Taylor Franson-Thiel

#Poetry #TaylorFransonThiel #Anniversary #Shore #Ocean #Shells #NewHaven #WhaleRoadReview

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/franson-thiel/

Anniversary Trip—Year 3

The new name settles in. A veil of teal falling. A calving glacier. In New Haventhe ocean comes out of nowhere. Waves relaid upon the shore…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Dec 13, 2025

save your fire, dragon lady

Permission Slip
Jia-Rui Cook

#Poetry #JiaRuiCook #WhaleRoadReview #PermissionSlip #Chinatown #Accent

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/cook/

Permission Slip

I hereby authorize _____________ to: wear shoes that are comfortable; let white hairs breed at the temples and ask what hiding them ever brought you; spoon honey into dark tea; walk when you are ti…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Oct 12, 2025

You’ll call the priest when you have time

Reasons Why You Still Haven’t Buried That Brown Paper Bag
Megan Stolz

#Poetry #MeganStolz #Ashes #Reasons #WhaleRoadReview #AllSoulsDay #Easter

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/stolz/

Reasons Why You Still Haven’t Buried That Brown Paper Bag

It’s comforting to see it on the home altar, swaddled in a rosary.You’ll call the priest when you have time for a small ceremony.He’ll at least have a script to follow.You’re not sure what to tell …

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Sep 19, 2025

Make cómo se dice a regular addition to your vocabulary.

How to learn castellano
Courtney Justus

#Poetry #CourtneyJustus #Castellano #WhaleRoadReview #CorpusChristi #Argentina

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/justus/

How to learn castellano

Start with the colors of the rainbow, then more. Add the animalsyou’ve only seen in zoos. A turquoise elephant. Elefante turquesa.Learn that the word for doll and wrist are the same. Learn to dance…

Whale Road Review

Andrew Shields Jun 13, 2025

I don’t know what we expected

The Gar
Charlene Pierce

#Poetry #CharlenePierce #Gar #Fish #WhaleRoadReview

https://www.whaleroadreview.com/pierce-2/

The Gar

The fish barely fit in Dad’s twelve-pack cooler.It looked alien mad. The long, skinny mouth snapped a thousand razor-sharp teethat anything that moved. We all stood still, gathered around the coole…

Whale Road Review