—Watch
the faithful shadows
swivel around forest floor
—how gentle,
the edges—
tilt the vowel skyward
like a little
handmirror—
—hold bright
the threshing sun—
From Little Mercy by Robin Walter. Copyright © 2024 by Robin Walter. Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC, on behalf of Graywolf Press.
Robin Walter
Robin Walter was born in Colorado Springs. She received a BA from Colorado College and an MFA from Colorado State University.
Walter is the author of Little Mercy (Graywolf Press, 2025), which was selected by Victoria Chang as the winner of the 2024 Academy of American Poets First Book Award. Walter’s honors include an Academy of American Poets Prize from Colorado State University and the Merriam Frontier Award for Poetry. She teaches at Colorado State University and lives in Fort Collins.