Sound Bites, Issue 8: Jeanette Hutzell (she/her)

My name is Jeanette Hutzell (She/Her), and I am a Junior English Literature and Writing double major. Originally from a small rural town named Meyersdale right next to the Maryland line where I grew up on a farm, I love animals and being outdoors and writing about that. I now live in Greensburg only a few minutes away from campus in my apartment I share with my two kitties where I entertain myself with a good book or video games, feeding my fantasy addiction in the process. When I’m not working my serving job or in class, I’m usually writing.

2 Poems by Jeanette Hutzell

Small Town U.S.A is only desirable on shitty two dollar holiday cards. 

It took me forty five minutes  

to get to Walmart  

and ten more to get my grandad 

to the hospital  

when he had a heart attack. 

But in a local drug store 

with our cult paraphernalia  

“Sweetest Place on Earth”  

poor is a way of life 

everyone buys with coupons.  

Company claims were “fine” 

more than the meth addict  

in front of Sheetz speaking  

to our underpaid sheriff.   

We are all covered in hay, 

coal soot, and over the counter 

painkillers.  

But the teacher can’t prove 

the class any different, 

when the class difference  

is three hours away 

hiding in a titanium city.  

So does poverty really exist 

if the other side of the tracks 

is out of view?  

Weeds 

She facetimed her friends to tell them 

she found another pretty boy to distract her for three years, 

while she tells herself she’s a curse to sleep around 

because men only like her when they’re sad. 

It’s how it works, I guess? 

Men are men and boys are boys. 

Tear out a few weeds  

and you’ll find a good one.  

But why do women have to be thrown in the fire 

to be properly loved 

like we are blocks of iron; not people 

made of skin and flesh 

who would bleed and crack and fester under a flame?

ABOUT OUR COLUMN:

Sound Bites is a poetry column intended to be read, heard, and tasted. It is finger food, messy and hands-on, compacting all the sweetest bits of a writer into a few small moments. The column will accept student writing submissions in the form of poetry or short prose for every issue from any and all majors, ages, and backgrounds.

Submissions can be emailed directly to Poetry Editor Geneva Webber at gwebberinsider@gmail.com. Parameters for submissions are as follows:

• Please attach a Word (.docx) document of your piece(s) with a maximum of 750 words each
• Include a short but personal bio about yourself with a maximum of 200 words
• Specify your preferred name and pronouns
• Please email me a cover photo of yourself— professional or not!
• If you submit multiple pieces, please give them a group title of your choosing (i.e. “Three Poems by Lindsey Kutz”)
• Be prepared for follow-up questions 🙂