Stephanie Anderson is the author of four chapbooks: In the Particular Particular (New Michigan Press), The Choral Mimeographs (Dancing Girl Press), A Spot A Scheme (forthcoming, Cinematheque Press), and The Nightyard (forthcoming, Noemi Press). Her poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in dear camera, H_ngm_n, Strange Machine, and Tight. She lives in Chicago.

As Regards to the Wind

We noticed a thin golden line of light

Two short whistles told Clear the way
So the engineer hurried me to the door

It was posed ready to sweep
This fire turned the water

One long whistle told A scene of feverish expanse
The thin golden line had become much wider

The fireman forking straw into the fire-box
They started a second strip of breaking

A series of short whistles told The heavy rubber belt might fly
There was such a need for haste

For miles and miles to the horizon
The men tied the lines around their forearms

One short whistle told Smell of body odor
And stale tobacco smoke

Hauling them out to fire guard on the stone boat
The very worst part of it all was the flies

Three long whistles told Other children were watching their fires
Light from the burning grass waiting to spell them off

The men slept in a caboose
Under the hypnotism of the blaze