What has brought me here?
The deep curve in the northeast
corner of the question mark
always a step away ready to take my weight.
Slanted letters shaped
by dirt roads and ravines.
Bends mirror roads
long slices of rock carving
cutting deep into dirt
hiding dark runs
still waking from winter.
My eyes catch another undercut
bank down at the bottom
a long stretch of water
another question
a curve to
follow.
-poem by Michael Garrigan
Michael Garrigan is a writer and teacher living along the banks of the Susquehanna River in southern Pennsylvania. He spends his time exploring the river’s many tributaries with a fly rod and hiking the riverlands with his wife, Jess, and dog, Whitman. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh and an MA in English & Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. His essays and poetry have appeared in publications such as Gray’s Sporting Journal, The Drake Magazine, Barren Magazine, Foliate Oak, San Pedro River Review, Piedmont Journal of Poetry and Fiction, and various magazines and anthologies. He enjoys watching water move over rocks. You can find more of his writing at www.raftmanspath.com.