New poem: ‘Eden in the Ozarks’

Earlier this month, The Argyle Literary Magazine included my poem, “Eden in the Ozarks,” as part of its “bucolia” theme.

What the heck is bucolia, you ask? It stems from the adjective bucolic, which is from the Greek word boukolos, meaning “cowherd.”

As Merriam-Webster explains, “When bucolic was first used in English as an adjective in the early 17th century, it meant pastoral’ in a narrow sense—that is, it referred to things related to shepherds or herdsmen and in particular to pastoral poetry. Later in the 19th century, it was applied more broadly to things rural or rustic. Bucolic has also been occasionally used as a noun meaning ‘a pastoral poem’ or ‘a bucolic person.'”

Bucolia, as a collective noun, refers to writings that are set in or about rural life.

The idea for “Eden in the Ozarks” bloomed during a stroll last fall, on a damp, cool morning that happened to coincide with the autumnal equinox, when, as I write, “everything/hangs in the balance, as it did in Eden of old.” During my walk, I mused about the biblical story of creation and wondered, What if God had chosen to put the Garden of Eden in the Missouri Ozarks? I took that “what-if” thought–a ploy I often use to generate ideas–and ran with it.

Before it became the poem The Argyle published, I tried to fit the idea into other forms. I attempted to turn my musings into a single-paragraph prose poem, and when that didn’t seem to work, I tried to turn it into a flash creative nonfiction. Finally, I settled on a free-verse poem. And when I read The Argyle‘s call for submissions for the bucolia theme, I thought it would fit. I’m grateful to David Estringel, The Argyle‘s editor-in-chief, for selecting it.

“Eden in the Ozarks” is my third piece in this magazine. The other two–“The Things My Father Used to Eat” and “The Things Our Mother Made Us Eat“–appeared alongside many excellent writings in the “gastronomy” theme published last September.

More bucolia from The Argyle

If you haven’t read The Argyle, you’re missing out. Here are a few choice samples of writings from the bucolia theme of Issue 7:

• “Hayfields,” creative non-fiction by Tom Wade. A languid tale of farm-boy summers of baling hay, drive-in movies, and breakfasts prepared by an uncle everyone called Jiggs. “My uncle asked, ‘How do you want your eggs?’ Hard or soft were the choices. Hard eggs were what I ate most mornings, even when I asked for soft eggs.”
• “Overseeing,” digital art by Rachel Turney. A black-and-white photo that captures the “pastoral” essence of bucolia.
• “A Lucky House,” flash fiction by Penny Nolte. “The house was built by my great grandparents who lived there all their lives, then my grandparents did, too. On the day of our visit everything had been removed.”

Top image: cover of the latest issue of The Argyle Literary Magazine.