rock clumps of potatoes. My first job
is a ritual of plastic gloves, a conveyor belt,
and a sacred mountain of starch at the end
of the hangar-like farm outbuilding.
We are all women. I’m thirteen,
just old enough to work here. The others
are poor, some are missing teeth,
their eyes wrinkle when they laugh.
They challenge me to potato-cleaning
contests to pass the time until lunch.
Our fingers often catch in the machine.
It stops automatically: we look at each other
in accusation. The guilty woman shrugs,
nurses a pinched thumb or forefinger.
We palm stones and dream of rings,
we hope the clock will click to home.
We rub off clumps of dirt, throw out imposters,
cull out the rotten and the bug-ridden.
Our hands slide over each potato: the thin skin
and the rough. I’m the kid with the bright
yellow gloves. I can’t remember any of their faces.
Hudson Valley Events
submit event
"Shelter"
June 5-Oct. 23 — Outdoor sculpture exhibition organized by Melissa Stickney-Gibson. Work by include Dan Devine,...
Symbiosis - ART/GARDEN Gallery and Outdoor Sculpture
June 11-Oct. 28 — Our curator, renowned art collector Beth Rudin deWoody, brings her exceptional art...
Trending
Woodstock Portrait Pop-Up 2022
Rhinebeck Portraits 2022
Behind the Mask
Beacon Portraits May 2022
Newburgh Portraits 2022
Saugerties Portraits March 2022
Hudson: Off Warren Street
2021 Byrdcliffe Artists in Residence
Chronogram on Instagram
Latest in Arts & Culture
It’s high time Chronogram made a newsletter about marijuana. Stay in the know with the latest on dispensary openings, industry news, cultivation tips, and more as we cover the emerging cannabis scene in New York and the Northeast. Welcome to High Society.
45 Pine Grove Ave
Suite 303
Kingston, NY
(845)334-8600
Partner Sites
