Jodi Boulton
The Badlands
They say they’re the result
of two geological processes,
deposition and erosion.
What I know is this:
The earth there rubs
like dry, gritty clay
and is the color of putty
against my palms.
Alligator fossils,
Amethyst haze sunsets,
and my childrens’
silhouettes
against the striations
and water marks –
the architecture
of ancient epochs.
And now
we stand in the kitchen
our six hands
molding the flour
adding the water, salt, and egg,
creating rugged peaks,
our Brule and Sharps,
on the cool black granite.
Chemistry of rain,
sand and wind,
of water, salt, and time
carving and eroding.
Jodi Boulton is a poet, professor, and mother of four. When she isn’t writing poetry or working on her latest project – a creative nonfiction manuscript, she’s usually traveling, or enjoying the outdoors. Her work has been published in several literary publications including Raleigh Review, Scapegoat Review, and Briar Cliff Review.