Feeding the Storm by Shelly Jones

She stands arms akimbo in the cornfield,
papery stalks shift, a raspy prayer for rain.

Bare-knuckled fingers dig in dry earth,
nail biting: grit, grub, stone, and shell.

Her skin soaks in dirt, breathes it in, waits
for thunder to resound, an ancient promise.

Air cooling, she tucks beneath a blanket of nettle,
bindweed and cocklebur, prickling her belly.

Rain settles across the valley as labradorite eyes
slip beneath mud, her face upturned like spring bulbs.

Shelly Jones, PhD (@shellyjansen) is an Associate Professor of English at SUNY Delhi, where she teaches classes in mythology, folklore, literature, and writing. Her speculative work has been published in Podcastle, New Myths, The Future Fire, and elsewhere.