The Scavengers
By William Burtch
beneath the muddied surface
fertile and abundant life
furious with a relentless striving
crawfish seize then shoot back
deep into the darkest eddy
small random pools scatter
along washed-out banks
water that grows stagnant
trapping fish, their remains left bare
to await the scavengers
that always know
William Burtch is an American Fiction Short Story Award finalist, with his story appearing in “American Fiction Volume 17” (New Rivers Press). Recent work appears in “Great Lakes Review,” “Schuylkill Valley Journal,” “Barren Magazine,” “Montana Mouthful” and others. He tweets at @WilliamBurtch2. More at williamburtch.com
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