Two Poems by Carson Colenbaugh (opens in new tab)

Proctor Creek That ripe sewage scent is anaerobia’s byproduct: bacterial mouthfuls packed with saturated leaves, slipped bark, accumulations of deer, rabbit, bluegill & snail droppings. The dank odor strengthens with stagnation. Beaver dams block debris all along this tributary, snagging flotsam, litterfall, convenience store wrappers. Upstream, last year’s bright pasture is infested with builders; silt works its way into the mix. Once that gleaming land was Don’s, a field with tractors out b...