A Poem by Sara Sutter

by Mark Bibbins, Editor

The Changing Snow Chicken

A type of grouse. A game bird whose
name originates from imitation

of all the grumbling he does — “his
song is more like a croak” — thus few souls go

within earshot. The Changing Snow
Chicken lives in the Arctic and changes

“from brown in summer to a nice
winter plumage in winter.” “Naturally,”

he explains, “this helps me blend in-
to my environment, which I refuse

to leave although it’s the harshest
tundra on the planet.” This, he tells you

while wagging his comb — his sole
ornament, big as a half-closed fist —

Sara Sutter wrote a chapbook, Sirenomelia, published by Poor Claudia. Her poems and essays appear in Bayou, Fence, Windsor Review and various artisan journals.

You will find more poems here. You may contact the editor at [email protected].