Some Assembly Required is a sampling of Colleen S. Harris-Keith’s poetry dealing with motherhood, marriage, and a life shared. From reading in bed through rickety crib assembly, and the things left after children have grown, these poems are intimate moments of togetherness and separation. (Porkbelly Press, 2o14) // available from our shop
An excerpt from “Frydaddy Wisdom:”
The first time he asks for seconds feels like
a smaller version of his proposal,
a promise of future calories shared.
A chicken leg waved in a chubby fist:
proof your can provide. Your well-fed children
bring cold chicken for lunch with their box drinks,
just as good at school as at funerals.
And the chicken is good at funerals,
keeping people busy, mouths full, mouths shut.
Open Edition Inkjet Cover
The cover photograph (by Shannon Smith) is printed on Epson premium matte professional paper. The micro chapbooks is handbound & each is trimmed by hand. As they are handmade, no two are exactly alike. The photo (“Kiddie Pool”) is pulled from Shannon’s Doing it Domestic series.
About the Poet
Colleen S. Harris-Keith works as a member of the library faculty at CSU Channel Islands. She holds various degrees, including BAs in Economics and International Relations, an MFA in Writing, an MS in Library Science, and will soon have her EdD in Learning & Leadership. She is the author of three books of poetry in addition to this chapbook, and is a three-time Pushcart Prize nominee for her poetry and short fiction. When she’s not doing homework, you can find her daydreaming, writing, or doting on her husband Jed and basset hounds Otto and Igor.
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