The Paddock Review

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A Poem by Kathryn Kimball

Elemental Alchemy

The effort it takes to die
will make magicians
of us all.

I thought he was getting better
said the daughter.
He sat up and ate a biscuit —

when what she witnessed
was her father summoning skill
from his now frayed black hat,

he the alchemist
transmuting the lead of bone
into light.

….

This poem is from the book Polina & the Pomegranate by Kathryn Kimball (Finishing Line Press) and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/polina-the-pomegranate-by-kathryn-kimball/

Kathryn Kimball grew up in Alabama, has a Ph.D. in English, taught nineteenth-century British literature, and lives in New York City. Her published work includes poems and French translations in various journals and a 2021 chapbook. She won the Columbia Journal 2023 translation prize.