The Godmother Teaches of Desolation

By Courtney Cliften

She reminds me of the desert,

and by that I mean, she reminds me

that sometimes we must demand

to survive. She says acrostics

have a way of figuring out exactly 

what we want to say, closes books

if they don’t feel important. 

Today, she wrote to me, said men

are a pain in the ass. In the same letter,

wrote about him, about forgiveness—

skin on skin, arms full. 

She chops vegetables for Tuesday

dinners, calls it love. Quotes herself,

or me, or Adrienne Rich, tells me it’s okay

to be neither mother nor wife, 

reminds me of the miles of Mojave sage

pushing through the dry, cracked earth

insisting it belongs. 


Courtney Cliften was raised in the Nevada desert and writes poetry as an MFA candidate at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her work has appeared in The MeadowHelen Literary Magazine, An Anthology of Emerging PoetsThe Racket, The Hunger, Caustic Frolic, and more. Courtney will be presenting a poetry workshop at the Carson City Library on April 29 at 1 pm, Nevada Reads In Your Library—What I Know and How I’ll Say It.

Photo courtesy of Courtney Cliften.

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