Ekphrastic pairing by Catherine Arra and Alex Stolis: "Amber Waves of Grain"
ekphrasis, poetry
Amber Waves of Grain
The farmer tills for a spring seedbed,
loosens compacted soil, buries crop residue,
stirs moisture to sun, deters winter weeds.
Espresso-rich wet burrows and mounds
ripple the brittle ochre of harvested corn, wheat,
summer’s bounty spent.
A snowy owl glides the killing field.
We, too, could use a good tilling; churn out
dormant seeds, strangle roots; unearth
complacency before the field is too fallow to yield.
The owl snatches its prey.
Catherine Arra is the author of four full-length poetry collections and four chapbooks. A former English and writing teacher, she now facilitates local writing groups. Her newest collection of poems, Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself, was first finalist in the 2025 Donna Wolf-Palacio Poetry Book Prize and will be published by Finishing Line Press, September 2026. Arra lives in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York with her partner Alex Stolis and their dog Daisy. www.catherinearra.com
Alex Stolis’ photos have previously appeared or are forthcoming in Ink in Thirds, San Pedro Review, Unleashed Lit, L’Esprit Review, and Anti-Heroin Chic. His full-length book Pop.1280, is a poetry and photo collection, available from Amazon. His chapbook, Postcards from the Knife-Thrower’s Wife, was released by Louisiana Literature Press in 2024, RIP Winston Smith from Alien Buddha Press 2024, and The Hum of Geometry; The Music of Spheres, 2024 by Bottlecap Press. He lives in upstate New York with his partner, poet Catherine Arra and their dog Daisy. He can also be found at https://alexstolis.myportfolio.com/