Iowa Writes

JAMIE BRAXTON COOPER
10 p.m. Sharp


There are things I might say about the rain,
The way a dog might yelp, for instance, when the first few drops
Strike its hide
          like stray bullets,
Or how the pigeons stick their breasts out and like it,
and waddle off
In the glory of their absurd colors.

In heaven,
Where it does not rain,
Where God continues his
psychiatry of silence,

My mother has been preparing a modest little place for herself,
My mother, who
Right now

Is probably up late again,
folding everyone else's laundry,
The dryer humming along tunelessly,
            the metal still warm, still
The temperature of blood.

About Iowa Writes

Since 2006, "Iowa Writes" has featured the work of Iowa-identified writers on The Daily Palette, and it has recently expanded its scope to include work published by Iowa journals and publishers. Curated by the staff of The Iowa Review, "Iowa Writes" features poetry, fiction, or nonfiction several times a week on the Palette. In November, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world's third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Iowa City has joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia as UNESCO Cities of Literature.

Find out more about submitting at iowawrites.org


JAMIE BRAXTON COOPER

Jamie Braxton Cooper is a 2004 graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He is currently a freelance writer living in Portland, OR. His poems have previously appeared in The Libertine.

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on August 05, 2006

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