At Starrett’s Dam

Bless the sun-rust day of return

to this red rushing river of Miller’s. Birth-

place purrs when it’s finally yours. Born

to a certain spot for a reason. Gushing falls—

white threads pearl. A dam of reminds & remains.

See—behind those factory window blinds.

Great grandfather a steel hardener. Heating, holding

& cooling. Old Tom who died with his gangrene on.

Doctor said you can live Tom. To live you must

cut off your foot. He chose to be un-chopped.

Underground. Silver Lake’s his nearby resting place.

Nursery of my ancestors—a quick walk from where I

stand at the factory’s dam. A river is so affectionate.

Tributaries join in, carry on & out of town. Spill into

a mightier one. I washed my mother’s & father’s feet.

Worn ugly. Clipped & dug their toe’s dead skin

with ungloved hands. Awful yellowed. Nails too old

to bend. Scissor & file. It’s hard to not do harm.

My own ten first counted by them. Toes hearty

& compliant. To market & home. With roast beef & none.

I would have liked to wash Tom’s feet. Alive. In his rented

room. Over there on Conant Road. Kind of daughter

of this spot I am. Oh gosh I’m going under. Mine too

into the burner. To ash & dirt. Offspring will come.

There’s no good god like the river you’re from.

Kelly DuMar is author of four poetry chapbooks, and her poems are published in Bellevue Literary Review, Tupelo Quarterly, Allium, Thrush, and more. Kelly’s photos have been featured on the cover of Brooklyn Review, Josephine Quarterly, Cool Beans, and more. Kelly teaches a variety of creative writing workshops for the International Women’s Writing Guild and the Transformative Language Arts Network. She was named Outstanding Language Arts Practitioner in 2025 by the Transformative Language Arts Network. A passionate promoter of writing communities, Kelly produces the Featured Open Mic for the Journal of Expressive Writing. Reach her at kellydumar.com