{"id":219,"date":"2020-11-18T01:08:36","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T01:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.illinoisstate.edu\/euphemism\/16-1\/?page_id=219"},"modified":"2020-11-20T00:38:08","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T00:38:08","slug":"mad-cow-on-magnolia-hill","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/poetry\/mad-cow-on-magnolia-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"MAD COW ON MAGNOLIA HILL (editor’s choice)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MAD COW ON MAGNOLIA HILL<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That mad cow way up high\u202f 
on Magnolia Hill listening. 
Brown-eyed, beautiful, strange dark red hair.\u202f 
Peel, pull, slip, crunch \u2013 <\/em>unaware\u202f 
of the tender half-bloomed magnolias\u202fthat 
crush <\/em>between her milky-white teeth.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where have you gone?\u202f<\/em> 
Your dilapidated body sits anchored next to mine,\u202f 
the kitchen table not meant for only two.\u202f 
Us<\/em> two.\u202f 
Saccharine words drip from rotting lips in a sickly whir.\u202f 
Starving hopes, desperate ears hanging, hands kneading needing<\/em> \u2013 
the polar bi-products of your ill mind. 
But reality forges on,\u202f 
the fa\u00e7ade\u202f 
-clink-\u202f<\/em> 
shatters\u202f 
like the brittle bone in your hip.\u202f 
I want to help you. The real<\/em> you.\u202f 
But it’s hard to find someone\u202f 
when you cannot find yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That mad cow past the fence 
below the valley deep.\u202f 
Thistles mar her once-soft hide.\u202f 
With coyotes she wails\u202f 
confused — crying out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do you say that?<\/em> 
Please stop, you’re scaring me!\u202f 
I try to tell myself this isn’t you. 
Mama tries too.\u202f 
At night she lays awake making  
excuses for your decaying soul  
But the solidity of swollen truth  
\u2013 it\u2019s hot, <\/em>and fresh, <\/em>and loud <\/em>\u2013 
expanding veins, inducing shivers,   
preventing belief.\u202f 
I hear the vile words you whisper at her.\u202f 
They scream<\/em>. 
Come in child look close\u2026 
Ha!  <\/em>Do not be deceived  
that is not art on the walls but\u202f 
imprints of hatred\u202f 
beneath glistening paint.\u202f 
Halls: they echo they echo<\/em> 
I hear.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That mad cow way down the silver creek, 
through frothy water she 
follows indecisive minnows’ paths.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why are you leaving?\u202f<\/em> 
Sister, come back!\u202f 
I miss your brown eyes and fanatic laughs.\u202f 
I miss your shaky hands and gentle hugs.\u202f 
I know we don\u2019t share a father but 
these words \u2013<\/em> these words<\/em>  
that flow so easily from our tongues\u202f 
we share in the ichor surging through our veins  
\u2013 the blood that our mama gave us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister, I know you are sick,  
I know you can’t help it, 
but I am here, please<\/em> try<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

. . . no? 
okay.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mad cow way up high, 
on Magnolia Hill liste\u2013  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No<\/em>.  
Not listening anymore. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\nMAD COW ON MAGNOLIA HILL  That mad cow way up high\u202f on Magnolia Hill listening. Brown-eyed, beautiful, strange dark red hair.\u202f Peel, pull, slip, crunch \u2013 unaware\u202f of the tender half-bloomed magnolias\u202fthat crush between her milky-white teeth.\u202f  Where have you gone?\u202f Your dilapidated body sits anchored next to mine,\u202f the kitchen table…\n<\/div>\n
Continue reading “MAD COW ON MAGNOLIA HILL (editor’s choice)”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"parent":5,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/no-intro.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-219","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":360,"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/219\/revisions\/360"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/euphemism.illinoisstate.edu\/16-1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}