TheNewVerse.News : EIGHT DEGREES

Saturday, January 03, 2026

EIGHT DEGREES

by Laura Rodley

Eight degrees

no one at the bird platform.

Ten degrees, juncos

in their butler uniforms

dart into the snow

unearthing seeds;

how less than an ounce

of feathers and a

rapidly beating heart

keeps them warm

is a miracle.

Pushcart Prize winner Laura Rodley’s latest books are Turn Left at Normal by Big Table Press, and Counter Point, Legacy Award finalist. Her Ribbons and Moths: Poems for Children by Kelsay Books was selected as a finalist in the “Animals/Pets/Nature” Category in the 2025 Independent Author Network (IAN) Book of the Year Awards, won the 2024 International Book Award for Children's Nonfiction, eon the 2025 Bookfest for Nonfiction Outdoors, and Bronze in the Moonbeam Book Awards.

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Although the editors and audience of The New Verse News have a politically progressive bias, we welcome well-written verses of various visions and viewpoints.

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Saturday, January 03, 2026

EIGHT DEGREES