"Graph of Tree and Roots"

I counseled at a camp one summer
a centipede twisted in my sneaker
a bumblebee curled in my blanket
vibrating. they called me Artemis
a sky aching with stars, a howling
in creek cavern splitting plateaus

I wanted to follow that cry into the
ravine feeling moist root steps bare
movies flickered through my mind
of myself bloody against the rocks
a murderer decimating a counselor
to go deeper to the middle of dark

to put my feet in water, stare inside
screeching bird as it feasted on prey
my reason removed layer by layer
flesh parting until I arrived at bone
scratching survival sentences until I
ascended, notches as climbing hooks

BIO: Laura Madeline Wiseman is an award winning writer teaching in the southwest. Her works have appeared in 13th Moon, The Comstock Review, Fiction International, apostrophe, Poetry Motel, Driftwood, Familiar, Spire Magazine, Colere, Clare, Flyway Literature Review, Nebula, and other publications. She is the Literary Editor for IntheFray and a regular contributor to Empowement4Women. Check out her website at www.u.arizona.edu/~madelily. Email: c/o Moondance