Persimmon-Leaf Sushi
A woman woke to a series of buckshot reverberating from the woods between her fence and the river. This occurrence was nothing new yet no less disconcerting. She unplugged her phone, placed it on the bathroom counter, and began getting ready for work while picking up where she left off in her Country Things podcast: Then in a rice tub or sushi box, the interior of which is perfectly dry, the pieces are packed standing on end so that no space remains between them, and the lid is put in place and weighted with a heavy stone, as in making pickles.
As she drove Mullikin Road toward work each morning, she was vigilant in watching for deer. When she was lucky, she’d see a family a few hundred feet from the shoulder; when she was unlucky, she’d see a carcass blanketing the road’s edge. Today she was unlucky. She saw two deer carcasses. One was larger than the other, and they were separated by about two hundred yards. She caught her breath. A glance in her rear-view mirror confirmed the grisly site. She heard a faint voice explaining, A slight bit of vinegar should be sprinkled over each piece with a sprig of bitter nettle just before eating.
As she drove Mullikin Road toward work each morning, she was vigilant in watching for deer. When she was lucky, she’d see a family a few hundred feet from the shoulder; when she was unlucky, she’d see a carcass blanketing the road’s edge. Today she was unlucky. She saw two deer carcasses. One was larger than the other, and they were separated by about two hundred yards. She caught her breath. A glance in her rear-view mirror confirmed the grisly site. She heard a faint voice explaining, A slight bit of vinegar should be sprinkled over each piece with a sprig of bitter nettle just before eating.
Candice Kelsey is an educator and poet living in Georgia. She serves as a creative writing mentor with PEN America's Prison & Justice Writing Program; her poetry appears in myriad journals including Poets Reading the News and Poet Lore. She is the author of Still I am Pushing (2020) and won the Two Sisters Writing Contest (2021). Recently, she was chosen as a finalist in Cutthroat's Joy Harjo Prize. Find her @candicekelsey1 and www.candicemkelseypoet.com.