~ Delta Poetry Review ~

Yance Wyatt

Gander

here at the reedy rim of the lake

I leap over a levee of logs

and land by a bowl of grass

lined with down

jerked from a goose’s breast

the bowl is empty

but for memories

like the time I found a robin’s nest

in the boxwoods

on the day mom left

how I longed to hold those shells

all soft pastels

seemingly dipped in dye

only to be hidden from a boy

in his Sunday best

look but don’t touch

said my old man

having learned the lesson too late:

that if you mess with the nest

she won’t come back

Yance Wyatt was born and raised in rural Tennessee. He left home to study at the University of Southern California before going on to serve as Director of the USC Writing Center and Associate Professor in the USC Writing Program. His work has appeared in numerous literary journals such as Zyzzyva and The Los Angeles Review, including two pieces that were nominated for The Pushcart Prize. He lives in Pasadena with his partner, his son, and his eighteen-year-old dog.