As Us

A Space for Writers of the World

Molly McGlennen – Poetry

Snake River V


Our bodies store
river stories —
————how one gets away
————takes the hook with him
————————or how we use drop-lines
————————to catch fat sunnies
————————just above alluvial beds.

Become initiation rites —
————how we net
————minnows in the shallows,
————————our task to grant us passage
————————on the trip.

Whisper rod and reel advice
————or how to work the jig
————at first nibble.

Some of life’s first lessons
————are learned on the water:
————Quiet keeps
————the fish close.
————Plant your feet
————evenly.  Observe
————everything.

————Later, river baths will
————rinse fishy hands and legs
————and cast long-stored
————histories ahead.

Molly McGlennen - HeadshotMolly McGlennen was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and is of Anishinaabe and European descent.  Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of English and Native American Studies at Vassar College. She holds a PhD in Native American Studies from University of California, Davis and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Her creative writing and scholarship have been published widely.  Most recently, her first collection of poetry Fried Fish and Flour Biscuits was published by Salt’s award-winning “Earthworks Series.”   Her book of scholarship entitled Creative Alliances: The Transnational Designs of Indigenous Women’s Poetry is forthcoming from University of Oklahoma Press.

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