Southern Indiana Research Articles

Effects of Irrigation and Fertigation on Seedless Watermelon Yield in Southern Indiana

Indiana cultivates approximately 7000 acres of watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) every year, with the majority of production concentrated in southern Indiana, thus making this region a key area for watermelon production in the United States. Diverse irrigation and fertilization practices are used for watermelon production in the region, yet their effects on production outcomes remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, this study investigated the impact of existing practices on watermelon yield to optimize irrigation and fertilization practices for improved production. The experiment was conducted at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, Vincennes, IN, USA, during the 2022 and 2023 watermelon seasons. The following four treatments were applied: high irrigation, low irrigation, no irrigation, and fertigation. The fertigation treatment received the same water application as the high irrigation treatment, but with frequent fertilizer application with irrigation; however, fertilizers were applied before planting in the high, low, and no irrigation treatments. Although soil moisture levels at the different depths varied notably among treatments, no significant differences in yield by weight were observed. The minimal impact of irrigation on watermelon yield suggested that sufficient water is stored in the soil to prevent yield-reducing stress during dry periods. However, the high irrigation and fertilization treatments produced more fruit than the low irrigation and no irrigation treatments. The dry periods during both years coincided with the watermelon fruit-setting stages, potentially contributing to the lower fruit set in the low irrigation and no irrigation treatments. Fertigation showed a higher early yield in 2022 than that of the other treatments. An analysis of soil and tissue nitrogen levels indicated that solely applying nitrogen before planting could lead to excessive soil nitrogen during vegetative growth. This excess nitrogen might delay flowering and harvest. This project offers insights into enhancing irrigation and fertilization practices for watermelon production in southern Indiana, provides recommendations, and discusses future research directions.

Co-occurrence of adeno-associated virus 2 and human enteric adenovirus (group F) in wastewater after worldwide outbreaks of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology (AHUE)

In 2022, several cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology (AHUE) have been associated with Adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV-2) and the common childhood virus Adenovirus 41 (AdV-41). This outbreak has resulted in serious complications in patients which included 5 % of individuals requiring a liver transplant and 22 deaths. Before these AHUE cases, no previous information had been reported regarding the co-infections and co-occurrence of these two viruses in the human population. The present study utilized WBE tools to investigate the prevalence of AAV-2 and AdV-F (AdV-41 and AdV-40) in wastewater from two different waste-water treatment plants (WWTP) serving the city of Bloomington in Southern Indiana, USA. The concentrations of AAV-2 and AdV-F were quantified using digital PCR in weekly wastewater samples taken over the duration of 18 months. High levels of both viruses were observed in most of the samples where co-detection and correlation in the concentrations for AAV-2 and AdV-F were found to be significant (p < 0.01) throughout duration of the study. In addition, significant seasonal changes were observed in the viral concentrations of both viruses (P < 0.01), but these seasonal variations were different between WWTPs (p < 0.01). However, these seasonal variations in viral concentrations were similar for both viruses. The sequences of AdV-F and AAV were obtained from the wastewater samples and confirmed the detection of AAV-2, AdV-41, and AdV-40 in the samples analyzed. Even though our study was done after the 2022 outbreak of AHUE, our results demonstrated the persistence of infections with both viruses in the population. It also highlights the ongoing spread of both viruses in the population and the importance of WBE in surveillance of these viruses.

Response of understory vegetation to long-term occupancy by introduced Pinus species in temperate deciduous hardwood forests

In many temperate regions of the world, conifer species have been planted to stabilize soils and promote site recovery on former hardwood sites that were cleared for agriculture. In many areas of eastern North America, these conifer plantings consisted of introduced (non-native) Pinus species planted on abandoned agricultural land once dominated by mesophytic hardwood species. These plantings constitute a shift in overstory composition away from native hardwood species with nutrient-rich litter that decomposes more quickly towards Pinus species with recalcitrant litter that may alter soil chemistry and nutrient availability. To examine how edaphic conditions associated with long-term introduced Pinus species occupancy are related to forest regeneration and herbaceous-layer diversity and composition, we sampled a total of 97 plots in planted Pinus echinata and Pinus strobus stands and naturally regenerated hardwood stands growing on two ecological landtype phases (ELTPs) of southern Indiana, USA forests, Fagus-Acer saccharum/Arisaema Mesic Ridges, and Acer saccharinum/Boehmeria Bottomlands. We collected vegetation data and analyzed soil samples to examine herbaceous-layer species distribution across gradients using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS) ordination. Two-way ANOVA was used to examine differences in individual species and species functional groups across stand types (P. echinata, P. strobus, and native hardwoods) and ELTPs. Our results show that differences in soil chemistry resulting from Pinus spp. occupancy were associated with differences in the composition and distribution of herbaceous-layer species in ordination space. Species across stand types and ELTPs were distributed across dominant gradients related to litter depth, cation exchange capacity, cation content, and soil aluminum concentration. Hardwood sites had significantly greater herbaceous-layer cover (139.6 ± 8.0 %) than P. echinata (48.5 ± 6.2 %) or P. strobus sites (81.7 ± 7.7 %), as well as greater herbaceous-layer species richness and diversity (mean species richness was 46.9 ± 2.1 on hardwood stands vs. 33.3 ± 1.6 and 36.4 ± 2.0 on P. echinata and P. strobus stands, respectively). Pinus echinata stands contained a greater density of woody regeneration, including Quercus spp. (201 ± 48 saplings ha−1) and Fagus grandifolia stems (415 ± 82 saplings ha−1), both of which occurred in greater density than Acer saccharum (163 ± 93 saplings ha−1) and A. rubrum (70 ± 64 saplings ha−1). Our results suggest that pine occupancy has created divergent successional trajectories in comparison to hardwood stands. These differing trajectories may offer both challenges and opportunities for restoration efforts. For example, the greater abundance of Quercus reproduction under P. echinata on ridges, combined with less productive soils, may allow Quercus stems to be promoted into the canopy with less competition from mesophytic competitors.

Understanding Opioid Loneliness and Stigma in Rural Counties

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between social factors of stigma and loneliness, in rural communities, that may differ in people with self-reported opioid use disorder (OUD) and those without self-reported OUD. The study’s purpose also includes an exploration of the relationships between knowledge and stigma. A cross-sectional descriptive study via survey methods was used. A convenience sample was recruited from Southern Indiana (IN) rural counties with zip codes that had some of the highest opioid use and reported overdoses in IN. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and mean/median difference-based statistics. The odds of having an OUD were significantly lower for persons who endorsed more self-stigmatization for illicit opioid use. Having less than a high school education was associated with a statistically significant, 8.5 times increase in the likelihood that rural participants would report having symptoms consistent with an OUD diagnosis. The present study advances the understanding of rural perceptions of and experiences with OUD and stigma-related HIV outbreaks and psychosocial factors which differentiate persons reporting OUD consistent symptoms.

A dendrochronological examination of a recent decline of chestnut oak across southern Indiana

Oak (Quercus) species are a major component of much of the eastern forest. Unfortunately, multiple species have experienced well-documented episodes of decline and mortality over the past century. A mortality event in chestnut oak (Q. prinus) across southern Indiana in 2016 sparked concern about the health of chestnut oak, leading to an effort to identify factors that triggered and contributed to the event. We evaluated stand conditions, tested for the presence of Phytophthora cinnamomi, and collected tree cores from chestnut oak trees within diseased stands and nearby healthy stands. We found no evidence that P. cinnamomi was associated with mortality. Instead, our dendrochronological analysis suggests that a series of dry June conditions followed by wet March conditions weakened vulnerable trees, allowing the exceptional drought in 2012 to incite decline. Greater basal area increment prior to growth decline, along with a higher probability of decline on mesic north-northeastern slopes, suggest that vulnerable individuals may have been those that preferentially allocated carbon into above ground growth at the expense of developing drought resilient root systems.

Genome sequence of Soos: a siphovirus of the CP cluster infecting Gordonia rubripertincta .

Novel actinobacteriophage Soos was isolated and purified from Southern Indiana soil using host Gordonia rubripertincta NRRL B-16540. Sequencing revealed a 57,509 bp circularly permuted genome encoding 87 predicted protein-coding genes. Soos is only the third phage in cluster CP, along with phages Clawz and Sting.

Population-level effects of prescribed fires on terrestrial salamanders

Prescribed fires are widely used for oak (Quercus) regeneration in hardwood forests, but the reported effects on terrestrial salamanders are variable, with some authors describing little to no effect of prescribed fire on salamanders and others reporting negative results. Factors such as variable fire intensity, sampling methodology, and imperfect salamander detection, which vary by study, may influence the effects of prescribed fires on salamanders. We examined the response of red-backed (Plethodon cinereus) and zig-zag (Plethodon dorsalis) salamanders to prescribed fire in forests of the Midwest U.S., accounting for changes in salamander behavior and detection by accounting for capture probability, and considering the influence of local fire intensity. We also explored the effects of fire on environmental variables (leaf litter depth, soil moisture, soil temperature, and soil pH) to identify possible mechanisms driving fire’s influence on salamanders. From spring 2019 through fall 2022, a total of 4922 salamander captures were recorded, representing 1939 individually marked salamanders at six coverboard grids in southern Indiana. Occurrence of fire affected survival and temporary emigration of salamanders, likely indicating that salamanders retreated underground, on two of the four grids. Fire occurrence and intensity did not significantly affect environmental variables except for leaf litter depth, which was negatively affected. However, soil moisture had a stronger influence on salamander capture probability than leaf litter. Overall, effects of prescribed fires on salamander populations in this study were inconsistent. In contrast, environmental factors had strong impacts on salamanders, but themselves exhibited either no relationship or a short-term relationship to prescribed fire variables. Notably, large salamander populations may be better able to tolerate prescribed fires. Such populations will be important to support during prescribed fire management to protect the species, especially as the effects of repeated prescribed fires and compounding effects are unknown. Understanding the interplay between forest management practices and wildlife habitat features such as soil moisture and leaf litter will be critical to identifying best practices for supporting wildlife populations reliant on such features during prescribed fires.

Conjoined first (atlas) and second (axis) cervical vertebrae in an eastern wapiti (Cervus canadensis canadensis) from the Angel Site (1000–1400 CE, Indiana, USA)

AbstractAtlantoaxial abnormalities are rarely documented among wild animals. Many defects of segmentation in the spine are hereditary in domestic species and humans. Here, we present a block vertebra in an eastern wapiti (Cervus canadensis canadensis) from the Angel Site (12Vg1) in southern Indiana (USA) dating to 1000–1400 CE. Diagnosis used macroscopic and radiographic examination. Evidence of inflammatory response and eburnation point to functional compromise. Recorded pathologies of this nature are underrepresented in the past and present. We suggest this specimen from an adult wapiti species represents a female as this condition would have been more debilitating in an antlered stag limiting the possibility of living well into adulthood.

Noteworthy Taphonomic Attributes of a Nautiloid Cephalopod from the Middle Silurian (Wenlock) Massie Formation of Southern Indiana

A specimen of the nautiloid cephalopod Dawsonoceras annulatum from the middle Silurian (Wenlock) Massie Formation of southeastern Indiana, USA, is herein described because of its suite of uncommon taphonomic characteristics. Three noteworthy features are observable. First, an articulated calymenid trilobite is preserved in the sediment infill of the cephalopod, having been either swept into the open shell post-mortem or rapidly buried alive while sheltering inside the hollow cavity. Second, a series of small (pinhole-sized) borings, potentially produced by ctenostomate bryozoans, are present on the upward-facing and lateral surfaces of the cephalopod shell, a feature that is otherwise unreported in this fauna. There appears to be a preference for boring into raised portions of the shell. Third, a number of tightly coiled microconchids are encrusting the exterior of the shell, an association not previously documented in this unit. Some of these phenomena represent first reports from a fossil fauna in a region strongly affected by dolomitization and are worthy of description on that basis alone. However, their co-occurrence on a single specimen highlights the fact that relatively common taxa such as cephalopods are still capable of yielding rare and/or significant taphonomic and paleoecological data.

Working Smarter Using ChatGPT.

By Jennifer Evans, DNP, RN, NC-BC, College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, [email protected]. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

On Patient Safety: Quit Skipping Your Checklist-Based Time-Outs.

1President, The Society for Patient Centered Orthopedics, Bloomington, IN, USA J. Rickert ✉, IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians, 583 S. Clarizz Boulevard, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA, Email: [email protected] A note from the Editor-in-Chief: We are pleased to present our next installment of “On Patient Safety.” Dr. Rickert is on the clinical faculty at Indiana University School of Medicine and serves as President of The Society for Patient Centered Orthopedics. The goal of this quarterly column is to explore the relationships among patient safety, value, and clinical efficacy by engaging with diverse perspectives, including those of orthopaedic surgeons, patients, consumer and patient advocates, and medical insurers. We welcome reader feedback on all of our columns and articles; please send your comments to[email protected]. The author certifies that there are no funding or commercial associations (consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article related to the author or any immediate family members. All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinion or policy of CORR® or The Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons®.

Understanding Habitats and Environmental Conditions of White-Tailed Deer Population Density and Public Health Data to Aid in Assessing Human Tick-Borne Disease Risk.

The extent of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) in the United States is largely unknown and underreported. Equitable diagnostic and treatment options may vary by geographic location. Triangulating multi-modal data sources informed by a One Health approach provides robust proxies for human TBD risk. Using data from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources collected from hunters during the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) hunting season and other sources, we employ a mixed-methods approach based on thematic mapping and mixed effects modelling to determine if deer population density aligns with official disease data at the county level from (1) positive canine serological reports for, anaplasmosis, and Lyme Disease (LD); (2) positive human cases of ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, LD, and Spotted Fever rickettsioses; and (3) tick infectivity. We propose the need for multimodal data analysis using a variety of potential proxies to better estimate disease risk and inform public health policy and practice. We find similar spatial distributions between deer population density and human and canine TBDs in northeastern and southern Indiana, which are rural and mixed geographic areas. Overall, LD is more prevalent in the northwest, central-western, and southeastern counties, while ehrlichiosis is more common in the southern counties. These findings hold true across humans, canines, and deer.

Dental and primary care professionals learning and collaborating to improve oral health.

Journal of Dental EducationEarly View ADVANCING THROUGH INNOVATION Dental and primary care professionals learning and collaborating to improve oral health Lori Phillips DNP, RN, Lori Phillips DNP, RN College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USASearch for more papers by this authorLorinda Coan MS, RDH, Corresponding Author Lorinda Coan MS, RDH [email protected] College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USA Correspondence Lorinda Coan, MS, RDH, College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorUditha Wijesuriya PhD, Uditha Wijesuriya PhD College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USASearch for more papers by this author Lori Phillips DNP, RN, Lori Phillips DNP, RN College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USASearch for more papers by this authorLorinda Coan MS, RDH, Corresponding Author Lorinda Coan MS, RDH [email protected] College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USA Correspondence Lorinda Coan, MS, RDH, College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN, USA. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorUditha Wijesuriya PhD, Uditha Wijesuriya PhD College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 18 March 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.13205Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Cultivating Community through Language Learning in a Benedictine Seminary Network

St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, a seminary located in southern Indiana, was founded in 1857 by monks of the Benedictine order of Einsiedeln in Switzerland. The seminary has since been devoted to the education of faith leaders—priests, deacons, and graduate lay students. Due to the growth of underserved Latino populations in the Midwest region of the United States, there is a need to prepare future faith leaders to serve Latino congregations. This work provides an exploration into the ways in which language learning collaborations based on Benedictine hospitality can cultivate community. It outlines a Benedictine pedagogy of community that is threefold. First, given the importance of language to communicate with members of Latino communities in the United States, the cultivation of community is understood in terms of the world readiness standards of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Second, because Benedictine monasteries were founded on the value of hospitality, these interactions are imbued with Benedictine hospitality. Third, it is argued that Benedictine communities are contexts in which the liminal intertwines with the liminoid, resulting in fertile ground for the creation of what we call liminal/liminoid encounters that have the potential to level asymmetric power relations and lead to meaningful dialogue. The final section shows how this Benedictine pedagogy of community is enacted in one specific Spanish language learning immersion that takes place at a sister Benedictine Monastery abroad, Our Lady of Angels, in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It also provides a small sample of seven students’ responses to two critical questions from a survey questionnaire. Even though this small qualitative sample is not generalizable, it helps illuminate how these interactions may lead to the development of cultural sensitivity, of a sense of community, between students and members of this language learning immersion abroad. Responses indicate that students who participated in this program for at least eight weeks exhibit an interest in continuing to interact and collaborate in multicultural communities as well as a willingness to learn the target language beyond this experience.

Roughed-Up Hillsides Reveal Tree-Toppling Winds

Researchers are reading pockmarks in the forest floor to study the uprooting of trees in southern Indiana and estimate how fast winds howled through the forest in the past.

Barriers to Accessing LGBTQ+ Inclusive Healthcare in Underserved Communities

Background: LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to face healthcare discrimination and thus delay medical care which contributes to increased mental health and psychosocial distress. Specific to transgender individuals, insurance denials and a paucity of providers that provide trans-specific treatment make it increasingly difficult to access care that has been shown to lower psychological distress. Being situated in a medically underserved, rural area, accessing LGBTQ+ inclusive and competent care is a challenge that has been echoed by many who frequent the Pride Center of Terre Haute.&#x0D; Methods: A literature search was conducted via PubMed and JSTOR. The 2015 US Transgender Survery and peer reviewed articles from 2011 - 2022 were utilized. Local healthcare providers were contacted via phone or email to discuss their willingness and ability to provide an inclusive environment to all LGBTQIA+ persons, as well as hormone therapy for transgender individuals.&#x0D; Results: Transgender individuals are one of the most underserved patient populations within healthcare. In discussions of the disparity faced by those trying to access care, three issues discussed in the literature were as follows: insurance denials or inadequate financial coverage, lack of proper training of the provider, and distance to travel for gender-affirming care. Rural physicians are not as frequently exposed to transgender individuals and therefore are less likely to be educated and trained in providing gender-affirming care as demonstrated through discussions with providers local to the Wabash Valley.&#x0D; Conclusions &amp; Future Implications: This work is part of an ongoing initiative to better understand the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in a medically underserved area of southern Indiana. This study intends to further understand the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ individuals in seeking care and also local healthcare providers' capability of administering competent trans-specific care.

Review-Do-Document: Structured Health Assessment Labs.

By Susan A. Seibert, DNP, RN, CNE, College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, [email protected]. The author declares no conflict of interest. No funding sources were used in this project. Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citation appears in the printed text and is provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's website (www.nurseeducatoronline.com).

Evaluating the impact of prescribed surface fire on seedlings in the Central Hardwood Region, USA

Abstract Oak (Quercus) is being successionally replaced by maple (Acer) across much of the eastern deciduous forest. Past research on the close relationship between oak and fire has led forest managers to use prescribed surface fires to deter this replacement. However, there has not been a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of prescribed fire by managers, particularly in the Central Hardwood Region. For example, it is not known how many repeat applications of prescribed fire are needed to accumulate enough oak reproduction to successfully re-establish oak-dominated stands. Tree reproduction and midstory composition were systematically surveyed across 63 mature, oak-dominated stands ranging in prescribed fire histories and aspects on the Hoosier and Wayne National Forests in southern Indiana and Ohio, respectively. These stands represent the vast majority of stands burned to promote oak regeneration since 1990 in these two National Forests. Across all sites, seedlings in the white oak group (section Quercus) and red oak group (section Lobatae) comprised 47.8 ± 3.3 per cent and 8.2 ± 1.6 per cent (mean ± SE), respectively, of all seedlings. In comparison, common competing species (maples and American beech) comprised 5.4 ± 1.4 per cent of all seedlings. Mid- and overstory basal area, percent slope, years since last burn, and total number of burns significantly affected oak seedling density. Greater increases in taller, competitive oak seedling density occurred after sites had been burned three times and with high frequency (≤4 years between burns). However, results also suggest that if an established midstory already exists or fire has not been used on the landscape for almost a decade, repeat applications of prescribed fire will not likely increase oak regeneration in the short term without concurrent treatment of midstory stems.

Advancing Our Understanding of Cerulean Warbler Space Use Through Radio Telemetry

Abstract Space use information can be integral in the creation of effective conservation and management strategies. However, avian territories (defended areas) are studied far more frequently than home ranges (entire use areas), and few studies have compared the two. This is the case for the cerulean warbler Setophaga cerulea, a declining Neotropical migrant songbird. There is an extensive record of cerulean warbler territory estimates, while the home range has only recently been explored. Studies of these space use areas differ in their sampling and estimation techniques and location. Consequently, comparison of both space use areas is difficult. We used radio telemetry to delineate cerulean warbler diurnal space use areas in southern Indiana. Our primary objective was to describe the relationship between the home range and territory. Kernel density home range estimates of sampled adult male cerulean warblers (n = 14, mean ± SE = 2.33 ± 0.29 ha) were significantly larger (0.54 ± 0.18 ha, P = 0.006) than territory estimates of the same group of individuals (n = 14, mean ± SE = 1.79 ± 0.39 ha; P = 0.006). Minimum convex polygon home range estimates of the same group of birds (n = 14, mean ± SE = 3.45 ± 0.55 ha) were also significantly larger (1.38 ± 0.19 ha, P &amp;lt; 0.001) than territory estimates (n = 14, mean ± SE = 2.07 ± 0.58 ha). Additionally, the territory estimates that we report are considerably larger than other published estimates for this species, which were delineated using spot mapping methods. Cerulean warbler home ranges contain territorial and extraterritorial space, and the latter has not been studied in detail. Area and habitat requirements likely vary throughout this species' range, and regional conservation management might benefit from study in peripheral space use areas.

From Her Tulip Bower Tommelise Writes the Swallow

From Her Tulip Bower Tommelise Writes the Swallow Carolyn Oliver (bio) Dear Swallow, how is a hollow mended?The gilded wings he pledged were barely flossenough to lift a raindrop’s song. He fed me windand bone. Starved, I learned to swim. Dear Swallow, seems every sailor I met carriedyour shadow on his skin. For my daily breadI mapped your curves, my thighs corbiculaea-rasp with pollen. Honey I couldn’t send. Dear Swallow, the moth tendered me a morsel,her only night. Ravenous, I dreamt your clawsgone manacle. At dawn, soft scales paintedmy bare wrists. No key in any of her eyes. Dear Swallow, in my roofless room I lierestless, fastened to rumor. How swift you’vebecome, tearing through the small hours.How immaculate your feasts. How your silence swallows me. —I believed your elegance a net.I believed you wanted eggs red as meator blue as sleep. I believed I knewwhat leaving meant. Swallow. [End Page 81] Dear glutton. Dear banquet. Dear grace.This bower’s for breaking.Your hunger waits. [End Page 82] Carolyn Oliver CAROLYN OLIVER is the author of Inside the Storm I Want to Touch the Tremble (University of Utah Press 2022), which won the Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry. Her poems have appeared in three chapbooks and in The Massachusetts Review, Copper Nickel, Smartish Pace, Shenandoah, Beloit Poetry Journal, 32 Poems, Southern Indiana Review, Cherry Tree, Plume, DIALOGIST, and elsewhere. She lives with her family in Massachusetts. When I return to the fairy tales and myths I knew as a child, I tend to focus—and this is likely linked to the time I spent closeted—on the work of revelation and concealment. Who might be hiding at the story’s periphery? Whose outward openness is a mask? Who needs a lift to another time or place to give a fuller accounting of desire, danger, agency? Copyright © 2023 Wayne State University Press