Vermont 1890 Year of the Farm

a farm wife
happened to
be there, a town
meeting where heated
womanly issues made her
rise from her folding chair, in
defense, she raised a peach,
twirled it up high above her head
for the council board members to
remember her presence, she took
a bite out of the peach, rolled out her
tongue and swallowed with pride, when
she licked the fuzz up and down and all
around, the council adjourned and cleared
the room, she strutted Vermont 1890,

her orchard
was painted on
wooden fruit crates
the burlesque queens
sat upon on to powder
their backside, folk life studies
she made my cider with the juice
of desire we drank in the back of the
crossroads general store,

19th century
rooted lesbian in
her simplest terms,
voyeur, exhibitionist,
rocky soil, short growing
season, making the land
produce,

a farm wife
happened to
be there, a town
meeting where heated
womanly sugar-making
issues made her rise from
her folding chair, in defense,
she lifted a bucket of boiled sap,
twirled it up high above her head
for the council board members to
remember her presence, rolled out
her tongue, licked the rim up and down
and all around and swallowed with pride,
the council adjourned and cleared the room,
she strutted Vermont 1890.


Copyright Ms. Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist