Construction

“Devotion is full of arrows.”
— Joanna Klink, “On Kingdoms”

What my husband feels for salmon? Devotion
in stages is the only right word. First, their silver light is
a beacon, guiding him to joy when he sees the river run full
of them. Second, the selenium, the potassium, the numbered fatty acids of
their meat delights him. Like taking a piece of wood and fashioning it into arrows.

Erin Schallmoser (she/her) is a poet and writer living in the Pacific Northwest. Her work can be found in Nurture, Paperbark, Catchwater, and elsewhere. She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Gastropoda, is online @dialogofadream, and you can read more at erinschallmoser.com/.