Andrew Riutta

The Medicine Woman

Yet not even steeped purple wildflowers straight from the deep swamp could ever renew him enough to be able to go back forty years and extinguish in time those half dozen mason jars in which he set ablaze probably a hundred or more soft bumblebees . . . when he was a stupid boy. So, she just fries him a hotdog.

day moon --
yellowthroat warblers
among the shadows

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About the Author

Andrew Riutta was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is a father, chef, and Zamboni operator. His essay “The Myths of Manhood,” from the collection This I Believe: On Fatherhood (Jossey-Bass), was featured on Public Radio International’s Bob Edwards Show in 20. His latest book is Blessed: Modern Haibun on Almost Every Despair (Red Moon Press, 2022).