Molten Medium, Chloe Moulin

To be a poet

trying to write a poem, 

is trying to be as free 

as a naked chicken—

you are undressing feathers 

with similes and undulating

a pecking parade with 

onomatopoeias—

trying to explain that there are pants 

but also under-pants

and foot-pants

that are really just socks—

a poem meeting paper

is like trying to tell this

chicken that toes are puzzles

and man, does she not understand—

that fingers are meat

tubes holding rings

at weddings

where we dance instead of prancing—

where the poets try 

to write vows full

of metaphors for a greener 

side of the grass—

where only you, chicken, will always 

be, standing still trying

to imagine holding hands

with Betty from one coop over—

as I write, that I am home,

naked, knees straddling him, I lean

to hover above his face, hair cascading 

as a waterfall cave to protect us.

About the Author

Keana Moreau · University of Vermont

Keana Moreau is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont receiving both a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Secondary Education with concentrations in Writing, American Literature, and English Education. She aspires to combine her expertise from these degrees into a fitting career; hoping to one day obtain an MFA and teach at the collegiate level. This piece first appeared in UVM’s literary magazine, The Gist, for which Keana used to be the Lead Poetry Editor. 

About the Artist

Chloe Moulin · University of Vermont

Chloe is a senior undergraduate student at the University of Vermont. After graduating and earning my BS this May, she will be attending the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to pursue her PhD in biomedical science. She will also be continuing her artwork, and continuing to explore the fusion of art and science. This piece first appeared in The Gist.