Jean L. Kreiling
The Mail Carrier
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
—inscription on the James A. Farley Post Office Building, New York
She likes the nor that strides between
the weather words; it seems to lean
against their perils and insist
that she can, too. She hasn’t missed
a day so far, and she has seen
and slogged through nasty ones. She’s keen
on challenges to her routine:
facing a storm provides a twist
she likes. The nor
declares no threat shall intervene
as she delivers magazine
and card and bill. Survivalist
of sorts, she’s ready to persist
when atmospheric moods turn mean;
she likes the
nor.
Jean L. Kreiling is the author of three collections of poems; her fourth will be published in 2025. Her work has been awarded the Kim Bridgford Memorial Sonnet Prize, the Rhina Espaillat Poetry Prize, and the Frost Farm Prize, among other honors. An Associate Poetry Editor for
Able Muse: A Review of Poetry, Prose & Art, she lives on the coast of Massachusetts.