It is wrong said the ghost

to be astonished at anything

as everything is the same

given the right light

and sometimes the ghost

steps out from behind a tree

and the wolves go away

She sat at the edge of the playground, next to the swings, and finished the story:

“The bird flew up into the rafters

and landed there

looking almost natural

Sometimes a forest replaces the house

but it should not be confused with the children

and the ghost should not be taken for snow, though

he will tell you, that is not what I meant

to do to you.

---

Cole Swensen is the author of eleven collections of poetry and has been awarded a National Poetry Series selection, the Iowa Poetry Prize, the SF State Poetry Center Book Award, two Pushcart Prizes, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is the editor of La Presse, a small press dedicated to French poetry in English translation, and she teaches at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

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