Fragrant grasses that covered me.

Packed earth by fire, tending.

Slow walk with an aging dog,
morning or twilight, it is the same.
Open window, girl practicing violin,
notes fly down, cone of streetlight,
red leaves.

Image credit:jeonsango

Alison Hicks was awarded the 2021 Birdy Prize from Meadowlark Press for Knowing Is a Branching Trail. Previous collections are You Who Took the Boat Out and Kiss, a chapbook Falling Dreams, and a novella Love: A Story of Images. Her work has appeared in Eclipse, Gargoyle, Permafrost, and Poet Lore. She was named a finalist in the 2021 Beullah Rose prize from Smartish Pace, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Green Hills Literary Lantern. She is founder of Greater Philadelphia Wordshop Studio, which offers community-based writing workshops.