University Of North Dakota Research Articles

RETRACTION: The oxysterol 27-hydroxycholesterol regulates α-synuclein and tyrosine hydroxylase expression levels in human neuroblastoma cells through modulation of liver X receptors and estrogen receptors-relevance to Parkinson's disease.

Retraction: G. Marwarha, T. Rhen, T. Schommer, and O. Ghribi, "The Oxysterol 27-Hydroxycholesterol Regulates α-Synuclein and Tyrosine Hydroxylase Expression Levels in Human Neuroblastoma Cells Through Modulation of Liver X Receptors and Estrogen Receptors-Relevance to Parkinson's Disease," Journal of Neurochemistry 119, no. 5 (2011): 1119-1136, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2011.07497.x. The above article, published online on 23 September 2011 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Andrew Lawrence; the International Society for Neurochemistry; and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed upon following an investigation by the authors' institution, the University of North Dakota, which determined that Figure2E was falsified by the corresponding author Othman Ghribi. Source data were not available for the article. The other authors were unaware of Ghribi's actions and not in any way involved. All authors were notified of the retraction decision, but did not respond.

RETRACTION: Hippocampus of Ames Dwarf Mice is Resistant to β-Amyloid-Induced Tau Hyperphosphorylation and Changes in Apoptosis-Regulatory Protein Levels.

M. Schrag , S. Sharma , H. Brown-Borg , and O. Ghribi , "Hippocampus of Ames Dwarf Mice is Resistant to β-Amyloid-Induced Tau Hyperphosphorylation and Changes in Apoptosis-Regulatory Protein Levels," Hippocampus 18, no. 3 (2007): 239-244, https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.20387. The above article, published online on 13 November 2007 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Michael E. Hasselmo, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed upon following an investigation by the authors' institution, the University of North Dakota, which determined that this article contains data that the corresponding author Othman Ghribi had fabricated. Matthew Schrag was unaware of Ghribi's actions and not in any way involved, and agrees with this decision. Sunita Sharma, Holly Brown-Borg, and Othman Ghribi did not respond.

Five Years Later: Revisiting an Applied Calculus Reform Project and Its Impact on Subsequent Calculus Reforms, Pre- and Post-Pandemic

A project to reform the teaching of Applied Calculus at the University of North Dakota (UND) is revisited. The successes and failures and current status of the project are discussed. Both pre-pandemic and post-pandemic adjustments to the course structure are presented. The extension of the ideas used in the Applied Calculus course reform to update our mainstream Calculus courses is described. Diversity and equity considerations involved with these projects and future directions of these projects are addressed.

Atypical jobs in psychology: Interview with Dr. J. Douglas McDonald ("Spotted Hawk").

This article outlines the career of Dr. J. Douglas McDonald, professor of psychology at the University of North Dakota (UND) and the director of the UND Indians into Psychology Doctoral Education Program. During graduate school, McDonald grew determined to develop a program that would assist American Indian students with entering the field of psychology in order to serve native populations across the United States and build cross-cultural competency and allyship within the psychological community. Upon graduating with a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of South Dakota, he created the flagship Indians into Psychology Doctoral Education program at UND, which meets these objectives, and has directed it ever since. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining the role of knowledge and trust on vaccine confidence in North Dakota among university students, faculty, and staff

BackgroundVaccination is one of the greatest tools for individuals to stay healthy. Individuals are, however, often exposed to misinformation via digital and social media, and thus, may miss the opportunity to develop scientific knowledge about vaccines and trust in relevant stakeholders. This has a damaging impact on vaccine confidence. Understanding vaccine confidence is particularly important in North Dakota, where vaccination rates are lower than national averages.ObjectivesThe objectives of this research are to examine the association between vaccine confidence and three potential sources of it, namely, trust, vaccine knowledge, and vaccine information sources and to investigate the relative strength of three vaccine confidence sources, while accounting for covariates.MethodsStudents (n = 517, 56.6%) and staff and faculty (n = 397, 43.4%) at the University of North Dakota (n = 914) completed an online survey. Logistic regressions estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations among trust in doctors, family/friends, government health agencies, charitable organizations, and religious organizations, vaccine knowledge, vaccine information sources as well as vaccine confidence, accounting for gender, race, marital status, age, religion, political ideology, education, and health status.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 29.43 years (SD = 13.48). Most were females (71.6%) and white (91.5%). Great trust in doctors (OR = 3.29, p < 0.001, 95%CI 1.89, 5.73) government health agencies (OR = 2.95, p < 0.001, 95%CI 2.13, 4.08) and vaccine knowledge (OR = 1.28, p < 0.001, 95%CI 1.18, 1.38) had higher odds of vaccine confidence. Using Internet Government source as the primary source of vaccine information (OR = 1.73, p < 0.05, 95%CI 1.22, 2.44) showed higher odds of vaccine confidence before all independent variables were introduced, but it became non-significant after they were introduced. Trust in government health agencies showed strongest associations with vaccine confidence.ConclusionMultiple stakeholders are necessary to ensure verified, accessible, and accurate information in order to advance vaccine confidence in rural, conservative areas.

An Integrated Frac Geometry Control Approach To Prevent H2S Production

_ Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production has in recent years become a mounting issue facing operators and midstream companies in major US basins. At present, H2S production appears to be random and poorly understood. As such, H2S is considered by many to be an unpreventable nuisance and one that is largely addressed by treating the dangerous gas at surface before putting it to a sales line. This article highlights impacts of H2S, possible sources, and a successful case study of a completions operation designed specifically to prevent H2S production in North Dakota’s Williston Basin. H2S and Its Impacts H2S is a colorless gas known for its pungent “rotten egg” odor at low concentrations. It is extremely flammable, highly toxic, poisonous, and corrosive. H2S is commonly encountered during the drilling and production of crude oil and natural gas, as well as in wastewater treatment, utility facilities, and sewers. H2S is well-known for its significant health and safety risks, along with substantial financial implications in the event of an accidental release. The substance ranks as the second leading cause of workplace gas inhalation deaths in the US. This is according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which concluded that H2S caused 46 worker deaths between 2011 and 2017. Due to its corrosiveness, wells that produce even small volumes of H2S may compromise wellbore integrity and lead to premature failure of production equipment. Sour oil and gas is considered to have about 10% lower profit margin than traditional sweet Bakken crude (SPE 141434). An electrical submersible pump replacement can cost an operator up to $250,000, plus production downtime. Additionally, according to one leading chemical company, it costs $2,250 per day to treat 200 ppm H2S at a typical gas production rate of 2,000 Mcf/D. H2S Sources A recent study, URTeC 3852794, published by the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University of North Dakota suggests three possible causes of H2S: geo-mechanical, thermochemical, and biogenic. Geo-mechanical: Mission Canyon organic-rich intervals could be a source of H2S for a limited number of the Bakken producing wells via communication between reservoirs caused by out-of-zone stimulation work. This conclusion was evidenced by matching the δ34S isotope between 30 H2S producing wells and formation cores. Thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR): Another possible mechanism of H2S generation involves the presence of anhydrites and hydrocarbons at a higher reservoir temperature of 110° to 150°C. This mechanism is plausible for wells with the δ34S in the range from +10 to +19‰. The EERC research team is currently investigating the TSR existence in the Williston Basin. Biogenic: This third mechanism of reservoir souring is questionable in the Bakken because of the high reservoir temperatures (110° to 150°C) and elevated salinity of the formation water (TDS 200,000 mg/L) making microbial growth unlikely, especially in the context of the predominance of heavier 34S isotope (δ34S of +2 to +19‰) in produced H2S.

Investigating the Impact of Undulation Amplitude of Unconventional Oil Well Laterals on Transient Multiphase Flow Behavior: Experimental and Numerical Study

The growing popularity of unconventional wells has led to increased interest in assessing and predicting their production performance. These wells, with their extended-reach structures, are able to generate and access larger reservoir volumes. Therefore, understanding the impact of a well’s lateral trajectory on its transient production performance is crucial. This study investigates the effect of lateral-trajectory undulation amplitude on flow behavior based on the experimental results obtained at the University of North Dakota using an undulated two-phase (UTP) flow loop. The experiments involved injecting an air-and-water mixture through a section with variable undulation amplitude followed by a vertical section. The results revealed that the increasing undulation amplitude resulted in lower translational velocity, frequency, and length, with consistent slug acceleration along the system profile. Additionally, the frequency of slugs decreased as they traveled through the vertical section. The measured data indicated that higher undulation amplitudes led to increased horizontal pressure losses and variability, suggesting larger instabilities. The numerical simulations predicted lower translational velocity and frequency, longer slug length, and similar vertical pressure losses when compared to the experimental results.

B - 66 Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy as a Sensitive Marker of Neuropsychological Deficits in Executive Functioning Tasks in Young Adults with a History of Child Abuse.

Research has shown the utility of imaging measures of neural activity in identifying deficits in cognitive functioning in individuals with a history of child abuse. The purpose of this study was to measure differences that may exist between individuals who reported physical, emotional, or sexual abuse as children vs. those who did not using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) during the completion of executive function tasks. The present study recruited 84 students from the University of North Dakota. The participants were administered several prescreening measures, including a measures of child abuse. Based on responses, participants were assigned to either a "no child abuse" or "child abuse" group. Next, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, the Operation Span Task, and the Connors Continuous Performance Task were administered while functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data was collected. The results showed a significantly higher rate and number of errors of commission on the Conners CPT in the child abuse group compared to the control group (F(1,57) = 6.604, p = 0.013 partial eta2 = 0.104). Neurological data revealed a statistically significant effect of group (F(1, 69) = 2.934, p = 0.043) across all executive functioning tasks. Additional tests showed these differences exist only during measures of decision-making (t(71) = 2.063, p = 0.043). The results suggest that the child abuse group may show subtle neurological deficits that persist into adulthood that may not manifest on traditional measures of cognitive function. These findings have implications for the development of remediation and treatment strategies in this population.

Round-Robin Interlaboratory Study on Rare-Earth Elements in U.S.-Based Geologic Materials

In a study funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the University of North Dakota (UND) Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) performed a first-of-its-kind round-robin interlaboratory study (RRIS) to determine lab-to-lab and method-to-method variability in analyzing the rare earth element (REE) content of domestic resources. Analyses of REEs on eleven different materials were accomplished by the laboratories using four different procedures: ASTM D6357 (Procedure A), ASTM D4503 (Procedure B), an alternate in-house procedure for digestion and REE analysis (Procedure C), and neutron activation analysis (NAA). The results of the RRIS suggest that NAA is the most accurate and reliable method for many of the REEs in these types of materials; however, the method is limited in that it is able to determining only ten of the sixteen REEs. Five of the seven labs reporting data for Procedure A and three of the five labs reporting for Procedure B showed excellent performance in terms of repeatability, reproducibility, agreement with NAA, and SRM recoveries based on AOAC International guidelines on method performance. This indicates that when strictly followed these methods are suitable for REE determination in most materials, although are subject to the overall capabilities and experience of individual laboratories.

Delirium Position Statement.

Melissa Yager, PhD, RN, CNS, ONC, Director of the Orthopedic Service Line, Department of Orthopedics, Sharp HealthCare, San Diego, CA. Betty R. Clark, MEd, BSN, RN, CRRN, Educational Services, Land O'Lakes, FL. Nichole Gulley, MSN, APRN, AGCNS, CRRN, CMSRN, Spinal Cord Injury/Disorders Clinical Nurse Specialist, VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH. Dawn L. Denny, PhD, RN, ONC, Associate Professor, College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND. Correspondence: Dawn L. Denny, College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota, 430 Oxford Street Stop 9025, Grand Forks, ND 58202 ([email protected]). The authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest.

Evaluation of polarimetric ice microphysical retrievals with OLYMPEX campaign data

Abstract. Polarimetric microphysical retrievals reveal a great potential for the evaluation of numerical models and data assimilation. However, the accuracy of ice microphysical retrievals is still poorly explored. To evaluate these retrievals and assess their accuracy, polarimetric radar measurements are spatially and temporally collocated with in situ aircraft measurements obtained during the OLYMPEX campaign (Olympic Mountain Experiment). Retrievals for ice water content (IWC), total number concentration Nt, and mean volume diameter Dm of ice particles are assessed by comparing an in situ dataset obtained by the University of North Dakota (UND) Citation II aircraft with X-band Doppler on Wheels (DOW) measurements. Sector-averaged range height indicator (RHI) scans are used to derive vertical profiles of microphysical retrievals. The comparison of these estimates with in situ data provides insights into strengths, weaknesses, and the accuracy of the different retrievals and quantifies the improvements in polarimetry-informed retrievals compared to conventional, non-polarimetric ones. In particular, the recently introduced hybrid ice water content retrieval exploiting reflectivity ZH, differential reflectivity ZDR, and specific differential phase KDP outperforms other retrievals based on either (ZH, ZDR) or (ZH, KDP) or non-polarimetric retrievals in terms of correlations with in situ measurements and the root mean square error.

Community Development and Public transport

The first thing that comes to mind when discussing sustainability is environmental sustainability. However, a truly sustainable community is active in social and environmental sustainability. To enable social sustainability, having a reliable transport system is fundamental, especially accessible public transport. However, in Dunedin, there is a significant demographic gap in taking public transportation. According to the 2022 student travel survey, 50.1% of Otago University students own a Bee Card (public transport user card). However, 84.2% of students have never taken a bus. This report aims to delve into the transportation needs of Otago University students via the use of persona archetypes and evaluate the current transportation system with student needs and concerns. Through the use of personas, and running them through the Dunedin Bus system, there is an argument that the existing public transport system is not accessible to university students and thus needs a revamp to enable social sustainability within the university student population. University-run shuttles influenced by Penn State and the University of North Dakota and creating a student-friendly bus environment are some proposed changes needed to allow student engagement in the Ōtepoti community. Supervised by: Ray O'Brien &amp; Craig Cliff, Sustainability Office, University of OtagoScholarship funded by: Otago Regional Council

Liberation: Shiv Tattva, and: Liberation: Summit, and: The Goddess Incarnates, and: Cow Dust Hour, and: Emancipation

Liberation: Shiv Tattva, and: Liberation: Summit, and: The Goddess Incarnates, and: Cow Dust Hour, and: Emancipation Nidhi Agrawal (bio) Shiv Tattva On some days,I am Sati.On some days,I am Parvathi.You created me and filled me withMaya (Illusion).Set me free.I offer my sins (Pap) and piety (Punya)At your feet to becomeEmpty and hollow.Will you become Gunagrahin (Acceptor of gunas) to consume my righteousness?I ask you,Will you become Hara (Remover of sins)To cleanse your creation?I am your Sati,I am your Parvathi.You have to liberate me from the cycle ofBirth and Death,Only then,Shiva Tattva will blossomBetween us, Shiva! Summit Enough of preying on my flesh.Sucking my bloodWon't take you to heaven.When your fervor devour is done,Kali will consume you. [End Page 75] The Goddess Incarnates At midnight, on a seat of five skullsI worship the slayer of illusions,The Maharaja (King) gifted me thirty—threeAcres of rent—free earth, 1I have planted seeds of your devotion (Bhakti)In the soil of my bones to perform corpse rituals.The world calls me mother—crazy and love—mad,Your status comes alive in my skeleton,Oh, Mother Kali! Tell meIf the Goddess incarnates. [End Page 76] Cow Dust Hour I dwell on the ferocious cremation groundsYearning for my Mother Kali!She carries waxing gibbous on her forehead,The Sun grows larger in her right pupil,The Moon drips from the two corners of her left eye,She burns the demons in the catacomb of her three eyes.You cannot carry her consort in your palm,He keeps her love and fury in the ocean of his heart. I am restless, this longing to meet myMother will swallow me.Oh, Mother! I have transposed to a ghoulYour disciples are my friends now.They claim,Between the day and night–When twilight rises to the throat of the sky,The hours of Sun and darkness make love,There is no period of half—light,I will meet you at,The time of Union. [End Page 77] Emancipation My eyes brim with the weight of dusk,Emotions conflagrate in my heartBurning the corpse without fuel.This dawn I am returning to my houseTo constellate my belongings. The entrance is clouded by theScattered scars of my childhood,Every drawer is sealed with the secrets ofMy disappointments.Today, I let go of my failures and riseFrom the floor,As soot rises from the throat.With every effort to clean the houseMy spine travels to the nucleus of my brainShowing me the way to the bedroom. At the bedroom's door,I stand startled by the view.The Mother Goddess is coming togetherWith the God of Mountains,Consuming my form and liberating meFrom prison. Nidhi Agrawal nidhi agrawal has a background in communication design in health, media and entertainment spaces. She strongly feels that poetry is a deal of joy, she is the author of the poetry collection, "Confluence". Her work has been published in California State Poetry Society, University of Tennessee, Chronogram Media, Yale University, South Asian Today, Indian Periodical, Spill Words Press, Rising Phoenix Review, and Setu Journal, and elsewhere. She lives in Bihar, India. notes 1. Ramprasad Sen, (flourished 18th century), Shakta poet-saint of Bengal. Ramprasad is reputed to have composed some 100,000 songs, some of which became extremely popular among his followers, who regard them as sacred mantras. The goddess Ramprasad portrays is sometimes beautiful, nurturing, and even erotic and at other times grotesque, dangerous, and fickle. Ramprasad contributed to a revival of Shaktism and Tantrism in Bengal and also, in the wake of increased Western presence in India, identified the goddess with Moses and Jesus as well as with the Hindu deities. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

Rite of Passage, and: Lost

Rite of Passage, and: Lost David R. Solheim (bio) Rite of Passage When I am done with breathing, scatterMy ashes across the wide Missouri.From Fort Mandan, or Double Ditch, orThe mouth of Burnt Boat Creek,I'll depart the heart of North AmericaTo enter eternity. The Far West will paddle-wheelMy cremains from sandbar to sandbarDown the Mighty Mo.Drifting from island to islandIn the Father of Waters,I'll inch my way to the Gulf,The saltwater mother of all, andRe-enter the cradle endlessly rocking. [End Page 164] Lost I have reached the age when my friendsAre assembling in cemeteries.The dated stones suggest finished storiesEven though I know they only stopped.I have the comfort of shared timesAnd expect no further installments. It's my missing friends I wonder about.They are like stories I want to finish reading,Disconnected phone lines, misplaced addresses,Letters stamped "Unable to forward,"And the single tennis shoe I passOn the shoulder of the highway. [End Page 165] David R. Solheim david r. solheim has published in over three dozen periodicals and his most recent book A Week on the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers: Thoreau's 1861 Minnesota Journey Revisited is available along with four books of his poetry at buffalocommonspress.com. He was the North Dakota Statehood Centennial Poet, is an Emeritus ND State Associate Poet Laureate, and an Emeritus Professor of English at Dickinson State University. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

Sonnet full of knowing

Sonnet full of knowing William Joel (bio) "Many men go fishing all of their liveswithout knowing it is not fish they are after." Henry David Thoreau The act of holding thoughts inside one's head;the effort given to the task; the fearthat some may leak away; the utter dreadthat they may not return; the single tearthat falls when seeing that a thought has goneforever, holding dearly to the onesit left behind, and making sure that nonemight follow soon; the golden web that's spunfrom what's inside, to make up for the thingsyou've lost or things you've not yet learned; the joyof finding something shiny, new to bringinside and snuggle tightly, like the boyyou used to be, so full of hope for wherea life might lead, without a knowing care. [End Page 155] William Joel All things are connected. That's the premise of what william j. joel does. Each of Mr. Joel's interests informs each other. Mr. Joel has been teaching computer science since 1983 and has been a writer even longer. His works have recently appeared in Common Ground Review, DASH Literary Journal, The Blend International, Liminality, and North Dakota Quarterly. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

Fossil, OR

Fossil, OR Gerald Wagoner (bio) Nothing here that's not America. A yard full of busted cars. Sun-baked. Swallowed in high grass.House and outbuildings worn grey. The last Dime Store clerkwonders if everyone's dreamsare empty as the barren barns where local farmers stack sacksof clouds against dread of droughtbeside the feed and seed. The red, white, & blue Essosign, missing panels and tubes,advertises hopes gone dry. In winter's single digit nights,when stars are sharp as glass,distant coyotes yip and howl. The sleepless attempt to recallthe names of young peoplewho leave each year in June. [End Page 95] Gerald Wagoner gerald wagoner's childhood was divided between Eastern Oregon and Montana where he was raised under the doctrine of benign neglect. He is currently finalizing his chapbook manuscript, When Nothing Wild Remains, forthcoming from Broadstone Books in 2023. Gerald holds a BA, creative writing, MFA sculpture. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

Homeless Camps along I-240 East, and: In Decimals

Homeless Camps along I-240 East, and: In Decimals Holly Cian (bio) Homeless Camps along I-240 East A line of tents spike the hillside, tuckedbetween fence and row of cypress, tarp attached to protect from the weather. Shopping carts scattered. Pieces of bicycle.The curves and points of the edges feel like phases of the moon—a steady stream of cans and chip wrappers, little bagsof gathered food spill into the highway; two lines of cars round the corner and the soft tips of mountainsrise like hearts full of promise and hearts unexplained, the deep curve of a broad river,the purple sky bursting with rain. [End Page 93] In Decimals A fraction is a part of something, as though you can hold itin your hand like popcorn or jilted petals, bits of thistle seedfor the backyard birds. A decimal is marked on a line, a space, an equivalentpassage of parts of time; when we've gone from beingone to being one and one-tenth. Like a cluster of leaves testing its segments.The culmination of tissue and air, eyes and cheekbones,the iris that enhances the pupil and all its dark longing.The crooked murmur of fingers completing themselves on my palm. I'm starting to wonder about the part of you missing,the part that slips into the rocks of rivers like an argental fish,resplendent and fleeting in black water. The days in sectors and lines in the wide sky.A thicket of branch, in your sightline, spacing the pearlsky, the mix of light and shadow. [End Page 94] Holly Cian holly cian holds a B.A. in creative writing from the College of Charleston and an M.A. in literature from Western Carolina University. Her poems have been published in Pinesong, the Great Smokies Review, Sixfold, and in the anthology Witness: Appalachia to Hatteras. She lives in Asheville, N.C. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

Memento Mori

Memento Mori David Melville (bio) Recall the thin grey worm will be here soonslip-sliding right across my breathless noseand everything I love will be in ruin. This life I spend asleep, so unattunedto nature and myself; and yet I doze.Recall the thin grey worm will be here soon. Like a cold, starless night without a moon,the mind blanks when I contemplate all thoseprecious loves that will one day be in ruin: books, friends, oak forests … you. My heart's cocoon,unpierced by loss, is lost from love. And sorecall once more: the worm will be here soon. Last night, our quarrel: I became the loon,petty, lost. I forgot what wise men know:one day hence all I love will be in ruin. It's not too late, though life may be past noon—I'm here, and you. The light in us can grow.Recall the thin grey worm will be here soonand everything I love will be in ruin. [End Page 149] David Melville david melville's poems have appeared in journals such as Water-Stone Review, Atlanta Review, The Midwest Quarterly, Tipton Poetry Journal, and RHINO. His poetry has also been anthologized in the college textbook, Listening to Poetry: An Introduction for Readers and Writers (2019). Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

Coal Camp

Coal Camp Elizabeth Pope (bio) 1 In the crook of Slaughter Hollerleans a blue house in the branch where God grew a wife. She'd dangle along banksidedamp as a mermaid pooling the gloom of creek across her knuckles, coaled as a fishstrewn stagnant on embankment. Home was never a place she thought to leave. 2 She met her husband, blackened, splintered on Fireside—skunkdrunk with sun, wet parched neck, raw, crude, radiant as a cut. She witnessed this before—tarmac motes, oil rings rainbowed at coal tipple slurry. So much night without stars. Her waterface was a stomach chewing and churning, her lust—a pot rising to boil. His was the tarnished light, catching, raining the bottom scorch. 3 Their house was built upon what her husband brought back from War—a sound dark, quiet as the mine. A silence that ruined himas it sometimes does. She supposeda shade tree flowered inside him, [End Page 121] flowered until it gnarled, roots boreclaws into his sun, and he became the dark. 4 Her haunted husband was put to surveying the vein of the gorge. She thought it fitting for him to harvest buckets of remedy—coal as the lamp to quench his silence. He didn't pick at it like the rest of men mining for blackstar, shucking away, fingering gunpowder, searching for seedlingsdumped down there to grow. He didn't pick at it like a scab. He ran it, stuck dynamite in its side, and burst Julythe way kids poured vinegar and baking soda in a sealed jar and shook it, the way it shattered. He shook them when it shot dusty clouds on the ceilingthat never rained down. 5 She gathered the chicks born every April, homeless henspecking boot-mashed yolks. Put her ear to so close to clapboard it made her body drumlike closeline rattle. The house blackened, the creek, the stone, all the linen sheets turned ash. When her husband built this house, never did she fathom the sounds of shatter.Forests twisted arthritic into muddy scarecrow, into kites, into root stools. Into anything hands folded over. [End Page 122] 6 She recalls running downstream from that haunted sink.The bright blue morning floating down to baptize, steady as a stiltwalker. 7 Abandoned old house where everything once mattered.The dog-tired,sunk porchspokethe ancient omen: abandon all hope. Words she wore as a cotton dress unraveling thread. He wore the distant sun when evening swept over his water eyes,and his spirit was drunk enough to rise a shaky boat acrosshis stormface. 8 When her heirloom lilies bloom, she thinks of death and summerwild and bright like tigers, the names she labored,thirst—this ache to travel. [End Page 123] Elizabeth Pope elizabeth pope is a poet from an Appalachian coal-town in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. Her honors include an Emerging Artist Award from the Kentucky Arts Council, and her poetry appears in Euphony Journal, Rock River Review, The Fourth River, New Madrid, Appalachian Heritage, and elsewhere. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota

I pull teeth, and: The Garden, and: Circle Ode, and: Everything Will Be Like This Again

I pull teeth, and: The Garden, and: Circle Ode, and: Everything Will Be Like This Again Lucy Western (bio) I pull teeth I pull teeth interminably / nothing about it is easy /nothing about it is hard / as to narrative / leave itlying / sell me heaven in the form of a word / thatcomes when it's called / forget poetry / show meheaven in the form of a dog / that shits on the side ofthe road / where I'm standing / forget standing / giveme sweetness / in the form of a lemon-lacqueredbird / soon I swear I'll be brave / or braver / whichis worse / if god is a carousel we can't / jump off /show me a heaven / where the little ones gather / inlanterns / and fear no burning / however much theywant to / hurry things along [End Page 29] The Garden Into arms emptied of roving shelet fall each earthly possession—toothpick, plastic shovel, three supple strands of hair—andburied them in the garden, whereall things tended towards silence or attended it. What grew from therestood like floral giants, each onerarer than the next: pungent silences; red ones; silences in salacious bunches;a thicket of silences so dense they'd breakteeth. For a long while she knelt there rehearsing her body against the seasonsthe weight of which only the toothpick andthe shovel and the strands of hair remember. [End Page 30] Circle Ode God but we do fear them don't weancient vaginal abyssor beehive, trypophilic bliss,coffee cup packed tightwith froth. We couldn't keepthe flowers, but we did—in a glass stein with ateaspoon of sugar & allkinds of sunlight—giftto my sister on her wayhome. Couldn't & did,because my father believesthat nothing should be ours alonethe way my mother believes in beauty Lately I've been waking up & knowingI have nothing, & curlingmy body around the empty spaceas though that way I could protect itas though that way it could be worth protecting Lately I've been thinking abouthow logic mangles language& not the other way around (Round as madrigals, asovaries, as the glowof the Annunciated's face;round like that) Summer and words flee from meaningas though mouths were merely soundbreaking open, opening, and nota brave and terrible way into the dark In the end they lasted two days:we were lucky to have themdropped as they wereinto the center of this world [End Page 31] (Couldn't & did, becausean infinity of arcs can also bepared down to one: eyeunblinking, lordwithout lid) [End Page 32] Everything Will Be Like This Again March. Loss is perenniallike marigolds, which is to saysometimes it sows itself. I holdmy hands out to the orangepetals of my anger, arrangethem artfully around the kitchentable, listen to them shiftand shudder against the lacqueredwood. I know them onlyby their color. I do not dareto know them better. It was morningand the wind chimesat the end of the street were sayingyield. Beneath them curleda small brown creaturenewly warm. Inside the houseI stood before a mirror and pushedmy shoulders down with my ownhands. The skin fellinto piles of scarves. I thought:I have not seenmy face in years. [End Page 33] Lucy Western lucy western is a middle-school Latin teacher in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her work has previously appeared in New York Quarterly, 3rd Wednesday, and The Inflectionist Review. Copyright © 2023 University of North Dakota