Suzanne Nielsen

From “Bending Spoons: A Leap of Faith”

Milkless Mothers

Sir Hosta and Lady Tulip waited patiently
for the newly knighted Lily of the Valley
to awaken from the frosty remains of a
difficult season while Christiansen’s
Chihuahua took a leak on solid ground
soaking the tiny buds attempting to escape
the barren ground below.

*

A Slave to Contention

Miriam believed the reason her family left Cochise County
was due to the lack of argumentative air along with an abundance
of abandoned unicycles left on Tombstone Road. Any puppeteer
would know that it was time to let the town rest,
rot and surrender to retaliation.

*

Two Symbols Are Better Than One

When he awoke at 6:32 a.m. Red Thomas
[en]listed to sell his finger cymbals on Craig’s
List after reading his daily Chinese Fortune Sticks.
When asked what the sticks revealed his response was,
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

*

Basic Response to Life

Marigold and the mute old man
scrubbed the chicory roots before
placing them diagonally on the baking
sheet while heating water for a full-flavored
cuppa joe. As soon as the water began to rumble
Marigold reached for the old man’s hand and sighed.

Suzanne Nielsen, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, teaches writing at Metropolitan State University. Her poetry, fiction and essays appear in literary journals nationally and internationally; some of these include The Comstock Review, The Copperfield Review, Mid-America Poetry Review, Foliate Oak, Identity Theory, The Pedestal, Word Riot and 580 Split. Nielsen was recognized by storySouth’s Million Writers Award in 2005 for her notable story, “Fists for Hands.” So’ham Books released her first collection of poetry titled “East of the River,” in December 2005, a collection of short fiction titled “The Moon Behind the 8-Ball & Other Stories,” in 2007, and will release her new collection of poetry titled “I Thought You Should Know,” in 2008. Nielsen holds a doctorate in Education from Hamline University.