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  2. Poetry
16 March 2022

The NS Poem: Inside Grief, There is a Field

A new poem by CL O'Dell.

By CL O’Dell

Inside grief, there is a field
so familiar to me, like the scent
of a baby or the silence inside a car.
The flowers are scarce, but wild,
and shadows appear as they should,
snaked dark within the wrinkles
of rock walls, scribbled under briars.
The losses are not always obvious
and almost always unknown,
but death knows my address by heart—
and each time I wake in the field
I waste all my hours there
flapping my invisible wings.

CL O’Dell lives in the Hudson Valley, New York State. He edits the online literary magazine the Paris-American.

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This article appears in the 16 Mar 2022 issue of the New Statesman, Russia’s War Goes Global

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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