Iowa Writes

BERNADETTE HALL
Picnic at Hinden


We came here years ago,
remember. We stood
in lines with all the others,

throwing eggs across
zigzag like bootlaces
taking one step backwards

every time. The day was fat
& glassy like a paperweight.
Surprise and no surprise

to find inside it, then,
a yellow cow, after Chagall,
a red bird, blue flowers,

a woman folding her arms
around a man & vice versa,
he lifting her up.

About Iowa Writes

Since 2006, Iowa Writes has featured the work of Iowa-identified writers (whether they have Iowa roots or live here now) and work published by Iowa journals and publishers on The Daily Palette. Iowa Writes features poetry, fiction, or nonfiction twice a week on the Palette.

In November of 2008, 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 by contacting iowa-writes@uiowa.edu


BERNADETTE HALL

This poem originally appeared in Volume 5, Number 1 of 100 Words, a journal published by the University of Iowa's International Writing Program between 1993 and 1998. Each piece in the journal had to be 100 words or fewer, and each issue had a theme. This issue's theme was "On Memory."

This page was first displayed
on April 03, 2008

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