“Kanawha Dog,” a poem by Faith Holsaert (fiction, ’82) appears online at Union Station.

Kanawha dog
is in the river
lion head turned
to Malden.
The feathers of his
legs pluming
into twentieth century
poison water, heart
pumping with
machine din.

At Kanawha Salines
his forebear saw the woman
on the bank. Dog,
he waited for her to
play their game of sticks,
lay his big head
on his paws
barking throw it
throw it and then
leaping light as a finch
feather
while the auger
bit deep into the earth
wringing free the iron
red salt treasured
for curing meat. …[Keep Reading]…