by Penelope Scambly Schott
The Senate is back in town for the first time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade—with no clear legislative path to respond. Unlike House Democrats, their Senate counterparts don't plan to move any abortion-related bills over the next four weeks they're in session, mostly because they lack the support of 10 Republicans needed to overcome a filibuster. The Washington Post, July 12, 2022
The white-faced ibis, the black-necked stilt,
and the great-tailed grackle
have all returned to the Steigerwald Refuge
but the prune-face McConnell, the no-neck Cruz,
and the turn-tail Manchin
are still in the U.S. Senate—
I wish they’d go dunk themselves
in Steigerwald Lake
Penelope Scambly Schott is a past recipient of the Oregon Book Award for Poetry. Her newest book is On Dufur Hill, poems about the cycle of the year in a small wheat-growing town.