Page xi →Society Hill

Adam Houle

One pair of scuffed up sneaks

snug in a mudroom cubby,

the only pair at home, eyelets

like the eyes of meek owls

blinkless blinkless until a soft dusk

settles and headlights splash a wall

or don’t. Blinkless past bedtime.

Then, until the social clubs close.

What else is there but hunger?

Who knows who knows.

Adam Houle is the author of Stray, a finalist for the Colorado Books Awards. His work has appeared in AGNI, Shenandoah, Post Road, and elsewhere. He is an assistant professor of English at Francis Marion University and co-editor of Twelve Mile Review. Page xii →