Uncle
Seeing Ontario splash against riprap, against makeshift
breakwalls, I think of days long gone, of working families
with gangs of sweaty kids—all of whom knew each other
too well. We were lake rats, moving from yard to yard, like
a shadow of a storm cloud—something always on the verge
of fists. It didn’t take much to set the fuse—bump, or knock,
or near poke—the steady index finger, a fraction of an inch
away from a flared nostril, until it’s grabbed with a tight
twist, sending the antagonist to knees with red-faced
screams— say it loud: Uncle.
M.J. Iuppa is the Director of the Visual and Performing Arts Minor Program and Lecturer in Creative Writing at St. John Fisher College; and since 2000 to present, is a part time lecturer in Creative Writing at The College at Brockport. Since 1986, she has been a teaching artist, working with students, K-12, in Rochester, NY, and surrounding area. Most recently, she was awarded the New York State Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, 2017. She has four full length poetry collections, forthcoming This Thirst (Kelsay Books, 2017), Small Worlds Floating (2016) as well as Within Reach (2010) both from Cherry Grove Collections; Night Traveler (Foothills Publishing, 2003); and 5 chapbooks. She lives on a small farm in Hamlin NY.
Commentaires