The Turnip Queen

Abstract

The Turnip Queen Ann Leamon (bio) Grandmother never prunedthe backyard forsythia,dancing wild sunbeams in April rain. Neighborscomplained when it rootedover the property line. In our front yard—turnips, jaggedgreen leaves instead of grass.Other houses on the street bloomedwith pink and blue hydrangeas,red roses, white petunias. At the prom,the popular boy gave me a bouquetof turnips, called methe turnip queen. I came home weepingin my homemade dress,the cruel turnips still clutchedin a hand that wasn't mine.Grandmother caramelized themfor a late-night snack with tea.I can still taste the sweetnessand the salt. [End Page 12] Ann Leamon ann leamon writes poetry, fiction, and textbooks about private equity. She holds degrees from University of King's College/Dalhousie, University of Montana, and Bennington Writing Seminars. Her work has appeared in the Boston Globe, Live Nudes, MicroLit Almanac, and Hole in the Head Review, among others. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota