Ryan Walsh was born and raised in West Virginia and is the author of two chapbooks, Reckoner and The Sinks, as well as the poetry collection Reckonings (Baobab, 2019). He taught creative writing and environmental literature at the University of Michigan and directed the writing residencies program at Vermont Studio Center. Walsh lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Spelter, West Virginia (Unincorporated)

by Ryan Walsh

It’s not what you think.
DuPont owns the soiled ground.
They’re on the hook for containment,
the fate and transport of contaminants,
site reclamation, health monitoring, cash settlements.

And still the bottle smash of green glass
is all that’s left of the playground.
A plastic Kroger’s bag caught in the chinking—
Spelter’s only banner.
People on couch
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