a history of amputation
time began when the first man laid eyes on
Appalachia’s soft peaks and said in his soul,
I am home.

when the mountain ate him whole
and his bones became dust to
later be mined by other men.

when they took up the maddock and the shovel
to dig coal from the belly before they
learned to remove the skull. 

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Katlin Brock lives on the county line between Harlan and Bell, Kentucky. She attends Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN and is currently working towards a degree in Creative Writing. She has previously been named the James Still fellow at the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival held at LMU and received a scholarship to the Tennessee Mountain Writers Conference held in Oak Ridge, TN. Katlin shares her life with three dogs, many horses, and several chickens. When she’s not writing, her time is spent on horseback, gardening, or with her family.