“Ode to Mycophiles” by Meia Geddes

Who seek enoki, cremini, shiitake, porcini,
belong to mushroom clubs and societies.
Foragers of the woods, they attend
mushroom dinners and lectures,
make mushroom menus and
full-course mushroom meals.
I once came upon a woman
kneeling at a tree near a stream
filling a paper bag full of mushrooms,
wide-eyed, in the throes of a
black trumpeted moment of discovery.
Her dark hair made me think of myself,
my mushroom-less choices in life.
Might I become a mushroom hunter,
lead umami-filled days, follow the
mushroom trails to truffled delights?

Artist Statement

My work is often utopic, envisioning the beautiful possibilities of what could be. I hope that any utopic visions and projects of love I share with the world have an impact on other readers, writers, and artists in terms of the possibilities they can see in theory on the page and in reality, creating never-ending circles of literary and artistic utopia at the very least.

Meia Geddes lives in Boston as a librarian, writer, and artist. She is the author of The Little Queen and Love Letters to the World. She holds a BA from Brown University and MS from Simmons University, and is an MFA candidate at University of Massachusetts – Boston. A Fulbright scholar, she has also received funding from the American Library Association and Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing. She is a member of the New England Book Artists and founder of the small press and literary journal, Poetose.