The Purchase

Abstract

The Purchase Matthew Kelsey (bio) Late August, in the shade of a canvastarp, near the blue brick of Bolton DanceAcademy and the newly warpedtraffic circle spilling toward the Hudson,tomatoes stacked on gingham clothpoke into the light. A table over,punnets of beans crown some cratesof corn fresh from their silks.All the fruits and vegetables shinein an estival haze, the catch of heatmugging the late cache. My newmother walks me through the market,less for the cobs, more for miniatureleaves doused in maple, shows me howthe light hits the confection smackdab in the stem, changes the sugarcrystals’ composition. She lets me eatone, maybe two, then tells me we mustsave something for later. She meansto hold a sweet melt for a hard night,but what I keep is the thought of heroutstretched hand, still open, a littlesugar in each crease. [End Page 175] Matthew Kelsey matthew kelsey’s poems have appeared in The American Poetry Review, Copper Nickel, Colorado Review, and elsewhere. He has received scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, a teaching fellowship from the Kenyon Review Young Writers Program, and an Idyllwild Arts Writers Week Fellowship. Copyright © 2023 Matthew Kelsey ...