Andrea Eldridge

Quills

The world famous porcupine races.
A suspension of freedom for 48 hours. 
Forced to flee. Steered by a broomstick. 
Frozen with fear. What if he won’t run?

These are the race rules: Don’t touch
the porcupine. Red, white, and blue
Rodeo queens. How to celebrate in a
small town. Post-race release. And relief.

On the other side of the mountain.
Deep in the Payette National Forest.
With a story to tell for generations.
The porcupine knows independence. 

fireworks echo
the signature
of smoke

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About the Author

Andrea Eldridge is a retired airline pilot living in Idaho, where she’s finally able to enjoy the temperature changes (minus flight delays and cancellations). Her poems “Unexpected” and “Psychedelic” have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and anthologized in Contemporary Haibun 17, respectively. Her story about flight training in Tokyo, “Strange Birds,” won a Solas Award for Best Travel Writing.