STIRRING
Founded in 1999, Stirring is one of the oldest continuously publishing journals on the internet.
Stirring is an electronic quarterly journal.
Founded in 1999, Stirring is one of the oldest continuously publishing journals on the internet.
Stirring is an electronic quarterly journal.
KERI WITHINGTON
Nothing is really level in Appalachia. Most houses
in these parts have a front door at ground level
and a walk-out basement, the hills making a story’s
difference. Sheds are stacked on cinderblock instead
of trying to level the clay. Whole yards get left or weed-
whacked, too steep for a mower. When we walk, we
expect the resistance of hills, the humidity. Half the
homes have gardens only, some growing corn and okra
in the front yard, some growing plots of rusty old cars
or campers. Most houses have stairs, a few to the front
porch, more to the back deck. It’s about equal between
the Confederate flags and progress, Pride flags and
yard signs. It’s easy to forget that under all the green,
there’s rock, that every construction is about balancing.
Keri Withington (she/her) is an Appalachian based poet, educator, and homesteader. Her poems have appeared widely, including in Constellations of Freckles (Dancing Girl Press) and Beckoning from the Waves (Plan B Press). You can find her at https://sites.google.com/view/keriwithingtonpoet/home.
