Poems by Ann Iverson

THE ROYAL

At the back of this acreage
is a twelve-foot bear carved from oak
fallen over backward
in the mud and leaves.

It’s only a body and I wonder about
the transgression for which he pays
for the King of the Woods
to have behead him.

Over the knoll is a mound of moss
brilliantly green as an Emerald City.
In a wheelbarrow lays a pile
of slate waiting to be a kingdom.

In the forest, I see shapes
of another dominion:
A bird with a crown of jewels.
A gazelle in a cape of gold.

A tree with long arms
reaches out. One hand
in the shape of okay
and the other one salutes me.

I LIVE IN A TREE HOUSE

among the woods
and watch the birds all day.
Amidst the blue of sky
and white of clouds
and alabaster snow
the robins swarm in droves.
My fingers, here,
cannot keep
the beat
of their flutter
nor my heart
the beat of their song.

About the Poet:
Ann Iverson is a writer and artist.  She is the author of  five poetry collections:  Come Now to the Window  by the Laurel Poetry Collective, Definite Space and Art Lessons by Holy Cow! Press; Mouth of Summer and No Feeling is Final by Kelsay Books. She is a graduate of both the MALS and the MFA programs at Hamline University.   Her poems have appeared in a wide variety of journals and venues including six features on Writer’s Almanac.  Her poem “Plenitude” was set to a choral arrangement by composer Kurt Knecht. She is also the author and illustrator of two children’s books.  As a visual artist, she enjoys the integrated relationship between the visual image and the written image.  Her art work has been featured in several art exhibits as well as in a permanent installation at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital.  She is currently working on her sixth collection of poetry, a book of children’s verse, and a collection of personal essays.