Waiting for Breakfast, I Stare at
a Wall of Elk, Buffalo, and Lots of Wolves
by Maury Barr

Poor animals in these paintings
for sale in the Golden Spoon Cafe
at the edge of Idaho

on a rainy Thursday
the contented poses of the wolves
belie their thirstiness

for life. Here, cute
as bugs' ears which
under the glass of honest inspection

who believes those ears are?
But that isn't the point, is it
to have the real life of

these animals be present with us?
More, to give us
that picture we want to have

which comforts us . . .
Poor people, caught
in this image of ourselves -
wolves, our own eyes
glaring back at us - our
toothful, fuzzy mouths formed

into a howl.

Maury Barr: I was born in Georgia. Lived in Maine, Connecticut, Iowa, Berkeley, CA, Seattle. Have traveled a bit in South America and more in Europe (which is where I'm headed now). Stayed in college long enough to earn an MFA in writing from the Univ. of Iowa in Iowa City - Writer's Workshop. Studied with Marvin Bell, Donald Justice, Anselm Hollo, David Ray, Norman Dubie and Jack Marshall.

I've been writing and teaching at the community college in Colville for the past 16 years. Before that, I did many things - a few good things, too, I hope - and lived in many places; I was writing the whole time - since I was young and wondering what art and poetry is, and how you put the sky - or "a" sky - into a poem. Or do you just attach the poem to the sky like the Goodyear blimp or a sky-writer's banner? Wouldn't having the sky in a poem make it all very airy? Well, forgive the digression but I have two children - and is that a non sequitur or just a not-so-clever disguise? When we suddenly depart from the conversation and begin talking about the language of that conversation . . . do you ever wonder what car mechanics mean when they talk about EPG solenoids? (Did I even get that term right?) Good luck.

Chapbooks are available for those who would like a selection of this writer's work in print. Chapbooks are a longstanding tradition in the poetry community. They are small books, often handmade, that offer at reasonable cost selections of a writer's work. Our chapbooks are laser printed one at a time as orders arrive. We print on a fine, archival-quality paper and bind each chapbook with a simple, elegant paper cover. The booklet is folded, punched and hand-sewn with an attractive cord. Each 4.25 by 7 inch chapbook includes representative work by a Headwaters Journal writer of your choice, and each will be autographed. These custom handmade books are both a keepsake item and a way for appreciative readers to support the work of their favorite writers. We expect each chapbook to sell for about $12. Please email for details.