Father and Daughter and Water Dad nearly drowned in the mouth of the river at Fort Bragg, California, but that was before I was born. He spent the rest of the summer in the hospital, but that didn’t stop him from loving the ocean and water. You can’t trust it, he said, you can’t help …
Author Archives: Terah Van Dusen
Community Supported Chicken
A Look into the Modern Farmer’s Movement Baked, fried, BBQ’d, on a stick, simmering in lemon and garlic: I love chicken. I love chicken in soup, Pad Thai, enchiladas, and cold for breakfast. Until recently however, I honestly could not tell you where it came from. How does it end up in the freezer? Somewhere along …
Too Much To Handle
Featured image is “Reading Woman with Parasol” (1921) Henri Matisse (cropped to format) “Do you still want to be famous?” That’s my ex, Ben. He texts me sometimes on weekday mornings while sitting in class at the Ohio State University. When Ben is at home or it’s the weekend I never hear from him because …
Magic 8 Ball
I lost my virginity late one night while Moonbeam was gone away at the bar. She bought us a six pack of Corona from the 7-11 and we’d finished most of it. We were cuddling and touching under a blanket on the hide-a-bed. My brothers were in their bedroom, asleep. David was telling me, as …
Fiber
I am everywhere I am sitting on your head I am raining on your home I don’t even try I shower but I smell I keep mum but I shout I chipper ‘good morning’at your placemate he mumbles inaudibly in return I play my music and I play it loud the birds seem to sing …
Where We Begin: Two Poems
We All Remember (Cabin Kids) We all remember the running and playing how we cursed darkness and dinner bells, tumbling in at dusk’s very last moment before the sky winks the day goodbye catching your breath before the closed cabin door, waving goodbye and Johnny, an unassuming boy hollering have a good night! hands-sapped, knees-scraped, …
Modernbody
Rethinking Happily Ever After After putting a good dent in my laundry pile, after making up the futon and folding quilts, after swiffering the linoleum, baby wipes on a cold, well-used kitchen floor, after sweeping out the foyer, splinterings of kindling and old oak leaves and dust billowing out the front of our house, I …
Womanbody
Illustration by Jen Scholten I want to be a mother. Want to harness life inside of my own body. Want to validate and make use of this healthy hearty womanbody that I have. See I always thought I’d have that baby by now. But I’ve discarded two lives by the ingestion of two pills taken …