stone age burial 

beside 
the young mother 

her stillborn 
nestled in the wing 
of a swan 


::: 


amulet 

by the boy’s hip 
a flint knife 

just as if 
he had lived 
to be a man 


::: 


safe passage 

scores of teeth 
from red deer and boar 

red ochre 
scattered  
from a blessing bowl 


::: 


spirit world 

all but their bones 
and finery 

flown away 
with the messenger 
of the gods 

Cynthia Anderson

A California resident and poet for more than 40 years, Cynthia Anderson is the author of 12 books, most recently Arrival (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2023). Her poems have been published widely in journals and anthologies, and she has received multiple nominations for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Her recent work focuses on the natural world and her family history. She is co-editor of the anthology A Bird Black As the Sun: California Poets on Crows & Ravens (Green Poet Press).

Author’s website: www.cynthiaandersonpoet.com