Alexa Mergen -- alexamergen@yahoo.com

Alexa Mergen writes fiction, poetry, essays and book reviews. Her work has appeared in a range of publications including The Pedestal Magazine, The Redwood Coast Review, Tiger’s Eye, Poetry Now, High Country News, Parabola, and Orion. Her chapbook We Have Trees tells the story of a road trip from her hometown of Washington, DC to her adopted home of California, and of the people she met along the way. She lives in Sacramento.

Alexa earned a BA in English from UC-Berkeley, an MA in English from UC-Irvine and holds current California teaching credentials. She has taught literature, reading and writing to English-only and bilingual elementary, middle and high school students and leads poetry workshops for adults in her community. She delights in sharing and discussing poetry with others and allowing language to lead to logical thinking and wonder.

Deciduous

Swimming this morning among the branches
of the straight pecan, the sweeping plum
four bird species: sparrow, phoebe, nuthatch,
kinglet, the latter raising his ruby
crown to his crony. Like a shoal below
on my back I am relishing an hour
returned as we fall back to standard time,
this year’s leaves drifting softly to soil
to bury my body, returning down.
And one and one and one and one the wind
is teasing gold from deciduous trees.

Reprinted from The Pedestal Magazine -- www.thepedestalmagzine.com

Books Are Returning

Across the world’s
skies books flap
their bindings
like wings traversing
blue gray expanses
home to those who
left them elsewhere
and regret it. Homing
like friends who call
after years of silence,
like feelings that surface
with tulips in April.

Welcome home
books to roosts
of bricks and boards,
cabinets of oak,
cases of mahogany.
Coo, books, coo coo
coo coo coo
shoulder to shoulder
on shelves where you belong
and will be tended.

 

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