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| Graphic from Center for Western Priorities. Poem title after The New York Times headline May 4, 2026 |
once the U.S. was down2 one remaining bison,
trains paused
in prairie 2revere the lonesome fellow.
amtrak texts apologized
4delays w/ artificial curtsy-
patrons sawed their teeth w/ love of somewhere,
playing various films.
the bison, for his part, grazed in sputtering light,
engaged in gentlemanly banter
of phaseout,
and- in quickening air, shook grain from his eye.
the light is blotting soon.
call it rain or god,
but i saw the grasses bend 2sky, in cathedral, as
all recourseless do.
i think i’ve fallen, too.
Debbie Benson’s new poems are forthcoming in Indiana Review, Passages North, Bennington Review, Ninth Letter, and The Penn Review. Past awards include the Ann Stanford Poetry Prize, Vern Cowles Prize, an International Merit Award from Atlanta Review, inclusion in Best New Poets, and a “Best of the Net” nomination. She works as a clinical psychologist in NYC.