Hobble Creek Review
Hobble Creek Review
Natalie Young
I Wish I Was a Farmer


A wish because
I could write about cow dung, rhubarb
stalks and birthing.
All in the same stanza, all before sundown,
the perfect love poem.

I wish I was the poet
who is my lover. A wish because
he is confidence
wearing a neon-green collar.
He knows how to remove an “I,”
keep it in the shed.

I wish I was a dog.
This dog at my feet writes one-act plays
each day. Writes them complete
with a slick nose,
no formal training.

I wish I was a succulent
because hardy and plump
outlast poppies. An occasional prickle,
a change in color.
They snuggle tight, hold water
like a camel.

I wish I was you,
wherever you are.
Though you are pessimistic about this,
you hope
these lines will bring something: a spill,
a better cup of milk.

I wish I was the neighbor’s
cat. A wish because he waits
a perfect lapse of time,
eludes the dog with soliloquies
hanging from dirty ears.
The neighbor’s cat with Pantene and Clairol hair,      
whose collar doesn’t jingle,
doesn’t care.
Already, he can taste all nine sundowns.
Natalie Young is a graphic designer and editor for Sugar
House Review, based out of Salt Lake City. Recent publications
include Tar River Poetry, Terrain.org, Chiron Review, The Dos
Passos Review, Redactions: Poetry & Poetics, specs, and San
Pedro River Review.