The Catapult
by Harmony Button

elbow brushes
ankle touch
                                                  we scratched ourselves
                                                   in the backyard grass
             behind the knees
             chewing
                                      a rubber
& she is                                       taught
sun-kissed.

We all crouched behind the wood pile and watched:

             brown rabbit
             a bb gun
                                     and an awkward moment
when
the trigger—     isn’t her mouth
                         perfect

© 2007 prickofthespindle.com

Harmony Button recently completed an MFA in Poetry at the University of Utah, where she was awarded the Academy of American Poets prize in 2006.  She has also received honors as a teacher of writing and continues to teach in Salt Lake City. Along with writing poetry, Harmony has begun work on a film documentary on school shootings and gun control in Utah.