Poetry by Anna Cates

“Fear & Ice (a haibun)”
By Anna Cates

I remember as a child
being too afraid to touch
the veal calves
crowded in their pens
restless before the slaughter—
barn cats, semi-feral,
lapping tepid milk
too afraid for me to touch—
and winters, so cold,
even fairies turned to ice

saved
in a jewelry box
her whisker

- Anna Cates is a graduate of Indiana State University (M.A. English and Ph.D. Curriculum & Instruction/English), and National University (M.F.A. Creative Writing). She teaches college writing and literature and graduate education online. Her haiku have won First Place in the Caribbean Kigo Kukai Contest, European Quarterly Kukai Contest, Indian Kukai Contest, and Ohio Poetry Day’s Haiku for Betty Contest. Her Haibun won first place in the “Cattails UHTS Contest.”  Her other poetry awards include First Place in Indiana State University’s Arion Poetry Contest, co-First Place in Ohio Poetry Day’s Welcome Aboard Contest, and Ohio Poetry Day’s Evan Lodge Workshop Contest Award. Her poetry has been nominated for Best of the Net, the Pushcart Prize, and the Dwarf Stars, Elgin, and Rhysling awards. Her books include:  The Meaning of Life (Cyberwit Press), The Frog King (Cyberwit Press), The Darkroom (Prolific Press), The Golem & the Nazi (Red Moon Press), The Journey (Wipf & Stock), Love in the Time of Covid (Wipf & Stock), and The Poison Tree:  A Peace Play (Wipf & Stock). She resides in Wilmington, Ohio, with her beautiful kitties, Freddie and Fifi. She is founder/editor of Pages Literary Journal:  https://pagesliterary.simplesite.com 

Copyright©2022 by Anna Cates. All Rights Reserved.