The Uncut Field
by Laura Foley

Walking the field to place a small rock
that she has painted on his grave,
my daughter asks me if he knows
that he is dead. The rock is painted
with a butterfly, red lines for wings, small dots
for yellow eyes, blue strings for legs.
Before I have a chance to muster
an answer, Nina calls out, Happy Father’s Day
to silent air. And we beat a path homeward
through dry, eye-scratching weeds.

“The Uncut Field” by Laura Foley from The Glass Tree. © Harbor Mountain Press, 2012. Reprinted with permission. (buy now)