"Resting on Western Pennsylvania's Shoulder" by Chloe Loosz

Resting on Western Pennsylvania's Shoulder

Chloe Loosz, Point Park University

Artist Statement: With the rise of the Midwest Princess and the queering of American rural spaces, "Resting on Western Pennsylvania’s Shoulder" offers a euphoric journey through a small town. Amid the United States’ uncertain political climate, many understandably struggle to find beauty in the simple, familiar aspects of their hometowns and the places that shaped them. This poem invites readers to pause, take in the quiet charm of rural life, and find solace in the natural world and its soft, comforting corners.

---

Consider the General Store,

or the horseshoe contest,

held in September.

Traditions linger here,

loyal, like the skeleton barn

still marching off Route 6.

Or the Vietnam Vet,

slumped at the bar

like a weathered river stone,

nestled in the creek out back,

where couples go

to make ripples –

Like them, we retreat, 

cushioned by mossy banks, 

tucked snug in our cicada cocoons. 

Here, hemlocks hide 

buried bones

and bitten tongues. 

Look to the mountain:

Deer nestle into dirt,

blanketed in sweetgrass,

while bears rumble past –

climbing

like inchworms.

Come, drift – 

carried by the wind,

past the monarchs

to summer’s chest,

while Johnny Cash

crackles on cassette.