JARED CARTER
Country House
The rumor begins to obsess them – that there is a hidden chamber, and that it contains a bronze axe head, or a rare piece
of Tudor silver, or a first edition by Sir Thomas Browne. They pry into the wainscoting, the plumbing conduits,
the brick-lined oven.
They tear the elaborate oak paneling apart and carry it down flights of stairs. They order the servants to cart the
pieces to the village, where they are sold to dealers and to other agents who begin to show up in order to bid on the more
impressive items.
The building dwindles away and finally disappears. They set the servants to work digging trenches across the grounds.
A few yellow flowers still come up each spring. These may have been dandelions or even daffodils, but they are trodden
underfoot.
Jared Carter has published four collections of poetry, the most recent being
Cross this
Bridge at a Walk, from Wind Publications in Kentucky. His work has appeared in the
Georgia, Iowa, Kenyon, and Mid-American
Reviews, and in
Poetry and
Witness. A sampling of his poems and stories may be found on his web site
www.jaredcarter.com