“Story Sits in Places”

The title of this poem is a nod to a folklore study by Keith Basso called Wisdom Sits in Places, which looks at how the place-names and associated narratives of the Western Apache are woven into their culture. More broadly, the poem (which uses the rhyme royal form) is inspired by the way traditional lore inscribes meaning on the landscape through story — a link we tend to lose in modern, urban life.

It will be appearing in the final issue of Worlds of Possibility, edited by Julia Rios!