Territories
A poem by Jennifer Mills Kerr

Territories 
–after Natalie Diaz

No rain for months, sun
crashes through 
my windows. 

Her poems, desert-songs of fury, 
rage born at daybreak, rubies alight.

Voices, tinged by smoke, 
warn of wild fire, forced 
evacuation. 

Outside, a slanted field of 
dust and weeds and thirst.

I live on Pomo ancestral lands.
My days like deer paths,
life-chants etched in red soil.

Within garden dirt, I discover
a sharp-edged obsidian– 
a Native American tool used to 
scrape hides. I hold it sometimes,
one side rounded, heavy, 
a perfect fit within my grasp; 
the other side, a blade.

About the Author:

Jennifer Mills Kerr loves mild winters, anything Jane Austen, and the raucous coast of Northern California. After twenty years writing & publishing fiction, she has recently “come out” as a poet, with upcoming work appearing in The Inflectionist Review. Jennifer leads generative writing groups online which foster creativity & community. Connect with Jennifer at www.JenniferMillsKerr.com.

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