I stitched thick lashes. Such a touching thing
she was! That even you could not debate –
impassive, undemanding and inert.
Yes, surely she’d cause you yourself to sigh.
Around her breast, I sewed a loden ring
to guard her cotton heart from being hurt,
then sat down in the fabric scraps to wait,
between the rafters and the furnace grate,
needle in hand, and never so aware
no craft on earth is master to despair.

~ Jennifer Reeser

At 42 years old, American poet Jennifer Reeser is already an award-winning writer and author of two collections of poetry, An Alabaster Flask (2003) and Winterproof (2005).  She is also a translator of French and Russian literature, with her articles appearing in several journals, and has a CD that is part of The Alsop Review’s Spoken Word series.

Jennifer has received many awards throughout her career, including The New England Prize, the Lyric Memorial Prize and awards from The World Order of Narrative and Formalist Poets.  She currently lives in Southern Louisiana, amidst its many bayous.