By Any Other Name

by Corie Preston

BY ANY OTHER NAME

I claw my way up

through cold, hard ground,

craving light

but existing on little.

My beauty all the more striking

in the dull bleak landscape

of stark naked trees

and dead brown grasses.

My name so fitting

for a flower

sprung free from the grave of winter,

sounding just like a voice

after a long night’s sleep—-

crocus.

CORIE PRESTON

A lifelong lover of words and nature, Corie enjoys spending her free time wondering and wandering in the woods. In her day job, she is a school psychologist. Corie is a mother to three daughters, one son-in-law, two dogs, and one cat. Friends who have inspired and encouraged her to write and to live life fully include Gail, Julie, Christal, Nancy, Tiffy, Althea, Christina, the otter family down river, the bear who shares her blackberries, the eagle who soars above the trees, and the many other creatures great and small who roam around her home.

Substack: @coriepreston