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Three Poems by Francesca Vogt

Vorfreude

I hope you sit and listen to the rain on the russet tin roof.

I hope you’ll step outside,

And breathe in.

Damp, rich, hopeful earth;

Giving life to small crocuses,

Pushing through the dark.

Pull up the crooked wicker chair. Stay, for a bit.

Sun rays are on the way, taking the long dirt road up the mountainside. Soon enough, they’ll run faster, like children off the bus.

There is still a trace of chill. Tiny shimmering beads on the tips of fescue. Drops of soft rain pooling in the roots of your front porch maple. Across the yard, new calves press themselves into mamma.

Watch.

A tiny bird preens under the pick up, feathers fluffed, tiny feet poised.

The world wakes, excitement stirring in your winter bones.

Still, wait,

Don’t rush the day.

Mila

Refuge

Have you ever watched a storm roll in over a hayfield?

The anticipation, sensation,

Rain rushing to meet you

Under the torrid summer sky.

A rumble in the distance,

Charcoal clouds gaining ground,

Those first drops--

Then drenched to the freckles on your skin,

Feeling so alive.

Mila

Route 641

I take the long road to work these days

There’s nothing like rolling hills and nutmeg

Hay bales scattered around every curve

Crimson, cinnamon, deep browns, your eyes,

The byway that winds through the canopy

Of turning trees, expectant, hopeful, waiting

To kiss the blue mountains on the horizon.

Mila (2019)

Bio

Francesca Vogt is a Virginia native who spent her formative years in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. She moved to Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, in 2023 to pursue her dream of veterinary medicine. In addition to writing poetry, she enjoys painting, singing, hiking, live music, and dabbling in volunteer firefighting. You may see her work under the artist name Mila.