Barton Springs, Tennessee

The last of the oak leaves
spindown drunkenly as if they

were in the hydraulics of
mechanical flywheels.

When I rake them up, I will
summon the ocean surface

out past the breakers, bits
of spray will splash my cheek—

collaterals of sound, the sense
and touch of remembrance.

When I rake them up, blisters
will put lava stains on the

inside of my hands. Sunshine
from a yawnin’ distance will

shake loose its last warm rays,
tilting towards an outer rim

in a cycle even stars can’t stay
as forces in the heavenlies.

William Rieppe Moore is from Richland County, South Carolina and moved to Unicoi County, Tennessee in 2012 with his wife, Cherith, where they practice homesteading and animal husbandry. He also enjoys climbing, backpacking, and swimming in the Nolichucky River, experiences that provide the material context of his poems. In May of 2021, he received his MA in English from East Tennessee State University, and in 2019 he began teaching high schoolers. He writes with his field guides and ballad books open, and his primary goal, when he is writing a poem, is to finish the poem. His work has appeared in James Dickey Review, Ligeia, Still: The Journal, Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, Vita Brevis, and Tiny Seed Literary Journal. His work is forthcoming in American Diversity Report as well as Voices.