BIRDS
THIS PRINT HAS SOLD OUT!
A 4-color reduction linocut
5" x 5" print size
7" x 7" paper size
Hand printed on BFK Rives paper
Edition: 18
A copy of the poem will come with the print.
WALKING THE DOG AFTER PRINTMAKING
Hunkered over the ink slab, I charge my brayer,
running the roller back and forth, side to side.
Ink thins, spreads, turns velvety, exhales a sticky hiss.
I ink the block, pull print after print. Nine steps
from slab to block to press to drying rack—
turn back to slab again. Late afternoon
twenty snowy owls skewer me with yellow eyes.
I walk the dog to unspool printmaking pressures.
Down the street, knots in my neck slip, scapulae
loosen, shoulders ease away from ears.
Above the rocky shore, my stride lengthens,
hips level out, the kink in my knee resolves.
My dog and I keep the tension easy between us,
each tethered to our ends of the red leash.
He leans towards superlative smells.
I lean towards equilibrium.
Leslie Moore
Kerning: A Space for Words
Issue No. 2, Spring 2022