Poetry By Carol Parris Krauss

Gerry Dincher CC




The Last Day of Hospice, 9 Days before Christmas 

A small bird, legs tucked tight, wings askew.
Mouth open, as if waiting for nourishment, 
a quick breath of relief. Low moans and then 
that rattle the old folks whisper of. Small
flickering of eyes. Still blue like the skies
over the Western North Carolina Mountains.
Soon, Mother, home for Christmas. Soon.

​



Craggy Mountain Fog

I once read that death lurks in the corner. Files 
his nail, skims through a weary Reader’s Digest.
I come from mountain stock, and I can confirm 
that death slithers in like the fog at Craggy Mountain. 
Surrounds the bed on his time, pulls himself up, 
and sweeps over the trails, hills, and valleys of the body
until it covers the mouth. It isn’t mindful of time. On his 
schedule, he begins the work of making the body a piece
of his terrain.

​


Ms. Parris Krauss is honored to have published poetry in Louisiana Lit, ൪uartet, the Arkansas Review, Salvation South, Eclectica, One Art, Story South, and the Mid/South Sonnet Anthology, among others. Fernwood Press published her full-length book (Mountain.Memory.Marsh.) in November of 2025. Carol was born in S.C., to mystical mountain people, raised in NC, and attended Clemson University. She currently lives in Virginia with her St. Bernard, Martha June. ​