New Poetry: "When Kansas was ocean"

My poem “When Kansas was ocean” was recently published in Mikrokosmos 65—a journal run by Wichita State MFA students. This poem appears in print, but I have uploaded a picture of it for my online readers who don’t have access to the print version. If possible, please support Mikrokosmos/Mojo by liking them on Facebook or attending any upcoming events.

As many of my poems do, this poem begins with Kansas: a state of complex and unique history, ecology, and culture. This poem imagines the state—which was once completely underwater—as its prehistoric species evolved into present day animals. Of course, the claims the poems make are fictional and poke at the complicated, and often misinformed, processes of uncovering the past.

The second half of the poem imagines Kansas in the future when it returns to its underwater state. It ends by questioning who, or what, will be left when that happens.

I was fortunate enough to read this poem at the Mikrokosmos 65 launch event on March 29th. An enormous thank you to the staff for granting my poem and I a place in your journal.