Editor’sNote
Iwanttosayahugethankyoutoeveryonewhosubmittedtothisyear’sBFEC Zine!Ihavebeenworkingonthisprojectfor3yearsnowandIamsogratefulfor theopportunitytoseeallthetalentsofthisschool.TheworkIhavewitnessedhas trulymovednotonlymebutsomanyothers.IbeganthiszineduringourCOVID lockdown,asawaytoconnectwithothersonasubjectwecanallrelateto:nature. Whilethetimeshavechanged,thegoalremainsthesame!Thiszineisanodtoall thewonderfulthingsthisworldhastoo er.Ihopethesepiecesinspireyoutoget outsideandstartexploring!Thankyouforagreatthreeyears.
MaryShawaker
ForYou
AbbyNavin
Iwouldsowthis eldforyou.IfitmeantIcouldstayforever Byyourside,wakingtothesoundofbirdsontheporch.
Yourmemoryisfadingalongwiththeabilitytocook But,Icould Plantthesecarrotsinthebackbythebusheshegaveyou. Maybethenyoucouldmakethecarrotcakewealllove.
Idon’tholditagainstyou,butit’shardseeingyousobroken Iwanttoreachintoyourmindandupturnitssoil–tocreatenew
Life AndIwouldgrowthesecucumbersbythesideofthehouse Ifitmeantyou’dstayalittlelonger,holdingmyhandwhileI’msick
Inbed.Butit’snot2005andyou’renolongerlookingatmethesame. Still,Iwouldsowthis eldforyou IfitmeantIcouldstayforever
Here.Idon’tholditagainstyou,butit’shardseeingyousobroken Andstillverymuchthesame.Ican’t xyounomatterwhatseedsIplant inyourmind Ijustwanttoshakeyoutoremember,butI’mtoldtoletitsit
andgivewater.Butmaybeyourthoughtsaren’tfading/rathergettingtransferred Somewhereelseforsafekeeping–stashedinsidetheyouthfultomatoesinfront.
AmyMoore
HallePreneta
Between Anonymous
Tolosesomethingthatseemedimmortal
Toswaybetweentwoworlds– existingindi erentplanes
Tofeelgroundedinthefact,youarenotgrounded
Floatingbyeveryoneandeverything
Disassociatedfromthelandyoustandupon
Homeisnolongerahouseoraperson–itisa eld
(Locationnon-speci c)Aplacewhereloversofsomekind
Gotomeet,mate,marry,move.
Theyexistbeyondthespace
Associatedwithitonlyforabriefwhile
Icouldlearnfromsomethingmore eetingthanthis esh
Iwantatakeawaytopassontothenextcreation
IdesiresomethingmorepermanentthanIhavenow
SoonI’llfeelathomeinaplace
TakerootinsoilIwishtoplanttreesinto
NoraChapman
“Overwhelmed”
RobertFranco
KharaStrum
TheCornTaughtMe
ClaireBaechtel
Igrewupwatchingthecornweavetogether watchingthewindpatthemdowngently watchingitshowthemhowtomovelikeabladeofgrass.
AndwhenIsatintheweedsIwouldthinkofcornstalks whenImadebraidsandwreaths
mysisterandI
wewouldeatsweetcornandwatchtheways the nehairstangledtogether usingFibonacci’snumbertodecidetheirkernels.
IthinkIlearnedhowtoweavefromthecorn andIneverownedafarmhousebutIownedaspecializedfreedom thatIowateachesyouwhenyouwanttoleaveit
ThatNebraskashowsyouwhenyoulickthegrittyleaves andthedirttellsyouwhenyoufallasleepuntilnoon andwatermelon’scallingandthescentofyoursweat ispoolingatthenapeofyourneck
Isawthecornatnightmanytimes. Overandoveritwasasea.
Itwasanoceanmadeofswayingstalks andmyfeetbetweenthem
arustedcornrake
andthetasteofbitterdandelionleaves
Icecreaminatractorwheel
Isatwithmywindowopen andIlookedoutonthatsea.
IthinkIsawitbestwhenthestalkswhisperedagainsteachother
Themid-Junehumiditytanglingits ngersinmyhair
IthinkIsawitbestwhenthe re ies dangledcomfortablyaboveit andmymothersaid, “ThisiswhatIwastalkingabout.
“GreatHorn” EmilyHeithaus
GabbyRachman
JessicaLandon
Goldenrod Anonymous
I’llwriteafewwordsaboutgoldenrod, (Asifmerewordscouldconvey)
HowitemergesinSeptemberlikeasunnyprairieblaze
Ifyou'reinthenorthernhemisphereyoumaystumblewithdelight Intoearlyautumnglorypriortoits axen ight
ThebeautyofFallisknowntoall,butthismonthbestowsatreasure
Thegilded eldsareinterspersedwiththistlesandsweetclover Sun owersofallmannertowerintheiramberfame
AsthestatelyVirgo ower,mockingasterand eabane
Butter ieshoverandhideundercoverofbergamotandmilkweed
Butmyeyesaredrawntotheaureateones
Heraldingdreadofthedeadmonthstocome
NoraChapman
PatriciaUrban
TheFlower RosaKwon
Thefragrant owersitsbetween twoloversgracedbycupid’stwang heartsbeatingswirlserenelyintooneassweetaromaswell
Thesunsetloomsovertheyoung virgincoupleexchangingfurtiveglances,havingsharedtheirmutualdesiresinfrontofthe
Flower
Sultryarethedaysandhumid arethenights,Yetnotadaygoes bywherethetwolovers’bodies failtomeltineachother’sembrace
Late,upallnight,theytalkofdreams withoutagoal,ofregretswithoutremorse,offutureswithout apast,ofstarswithoutamoon
Beneaththiscloudofscentfulconversation,the owerswaysand humssanguinetunesanticipatingalifeofhappinessand
Love
AidanCullen
AmyMoore
JessicaLandon
Unburdensome
Emma CoffmanOh, to float like duckweed, to be swept aside on the surface like the water itself flows; while below the slimy seaweed bows slender, sleek, and spineless, bending over river rocks with tender tendrils ever-grasping.
Oh, to be the whiskers on the puckered lips of catfish, effortless, and passive with gills to comb the undertow without so much as a gasp; always gliding, airily, across the late-night lakebed ever-breathless, ever-silent with a mouth agape and cavernous.
Oh, to be a road-killed doe, in shreds under the overpass, flesh falling away while headlight glares slide smoothly over her skull; lying ever-still, unrecognizable as the mother of many fawns, who now wander the woods motherless. And yet, in her fur grows moss and mold and on her bones crawl small societies.
How I long to become miniscule, gentle, and unwieldy, ever-giving, never greedy, to ebb and flow, like liquid, lithely; my limbs and trunk unburdensome, sustaining love, and life quietly.
AmyHenrickson
Dandelions
DelaneyMarrs
Springspentbiting ngernails, grassstainedfrommakingdaisychains, Pickingdandelionsandblowingwishestothewind, andtheshrieking,scoldingstopspreadingweedsoftheothers, seeingfaultswhenwesaw owers
Dandelionsareweedsbecausetheyspread, menacesbecausethey’reresilient.
Sodowe Soarewe
Callusweedsonagreenplanet, wishesscatteredtothewindaftertheyellowhasvanished.
Ifdandelionsareweeds,soarewe Ifdandelionsare owers,soarewe.
NoraChapman
MaryShawaker
PatriciaUrban
ATurtleAtPompeii RoyalRhodes
Vesuviushadfrozencrowdsinplace byash,alongwithcountlesslivingthings.
Nowarchaeologistsreporteachtrace
Apregnantturtle'sshell,theirdiggingbrings tolight,withexcavatingtoolsandrake, addsmysterythatdoublesdownandclings.
Itburrowednearashopanolderquake hadwrecked,andfoundalairtoitsregret, untiltheashpoureddown--eachtoxic ake.
Sowasitfromthecountryorapet?
Itsskeletonshowsdeathhadleftaspace andcrackeditspreciousegg -- lestweforget.
ThroughMarch
VictoriaKerrigan
Thewhite-graycloudsglideseamlesslyalong thecurveofthegreen-yellowhill. Yellowingnow,shadingnow One nch singsaboveonanin nitelyfracturingbranch veiningthroughthesky’slightbluebody.
Forwhatdoesitmattertoher ifitisnine-oh- veornineforty- ve,ona midMarchmorning?Sheknowsgreaterthings,secretthings.
Whatsheknowsshootsupfromtheroot tothepalmfrondproliferation ofhereveryfeather. Theboldprintonthatsteelsquare meanslittletoher.
Forhowdoes‘ ne’or‘property’a ectthe neprospect ofatastytubularsunningitsearthy ank onabedofcrinklingtanleaves?The st ofthosesteelcutmeaningshangsunpunched.
Theethertightlywovenwithdiaphanousparticles isimpossibletopuncture.Yettheydisperseforher, thelightbluebodyunbarbed.Permitted, shepermeatesprofuselythrough March.Thelightbluebodysofull, shemakesitfuller.
GabbyRachman
KirstinFuller
MikaylaYurman