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Decades: before and after


I moved south, found a job in Environmental Studies—the auntie
arrived like cargo off the wharf where salt rubs against the marsh.
Fish swim the offshore rigs lacing in and out of barnacled holds
beyond the mouth of the Mississippi, fixed into place, boxed in

arrived like cargo off the wharf where salt rubs against the marsh
of a channel blocked upstream, averted in its rush to lower ground
beyond the mouth of the Mississippi, fixed into place, boxed in
keeping rhythm, knowing it's time to draw wide the delta fan

of a channel blocked upstream in its rush to lower ground.
For over a decade students flocked as land slipped to water
keeping rhythm, knowing it's time to draw wide the delta fan
and the river's divergent bent persisted in its urge to swing.

I stayed dry by the river when everything around me drowned.

For over a decade students flocked as land slipped to water.
Layoffs from the lake took the home of work away
and the river's divergent bent persists in its urge to swing
just as youth persists, touches down, stops its migrant flight.

Layoffs from the lake took the home of work away, until
landing back in school—returned like new marsh, a new outlet to the gulf
just as youth had reappeared, touched down, stopped its migrant flight
toward a vision, a memory of a coast, a cypress forest thought.

Landing back in school, they return like new marsh, a new outlet to the gulf
collect themselves, swell up, jump off into the sky
towarda vision, a memory of a coast, a cypress forest thought.
Fish swim the offshore rigs lacing in and out of barnacled holds.

They collect themselves, swell up, jump off into the sky.

Christine Murphey

Christine Murphey has worked more than a decade with Environment Programs in New Orleans, first at Tulane and then at Loyola University. During this time she published poems and prose on south Louisiana in journals such as Negative Capability, Louisiana Literature, New Orleans Review, Michigan Review and North American Review.