herself…
well, nothing, really. It’s me
she wants to talk to but she doesn’t know how,
and I can’t help her. Sarah,
a counselor is saying, now that my daughter’s
finally opened a brochure
which lists follow-up services
hospice provides. Sarah…
this stranger is saying,
not gently, or slowly, or softly
the way I would have,
and now I’m picturing the brittle
filament that runs from his landline
to the receiver she’s holding:
Sarah, he’s saying
with a clipped “ah” at the end of it,
as if this syllable is that filament
about to break—
as if he is the one who is breaking it.
W. J. Herbert’s work was awarded the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Prize and was selected by Natasha Trethewey for inclusion in Best American Poetry 2017. Her poetry, fiction, and reviews appear in Alaska Quarterly Review, The Atlantic, Hudson Review, Southwest Review, and elsewhere. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, she was raised in Southern California where she earned a Bachelor’s in studio art and a Master’s in flute performance. She lives in Kingston, New York, and Portland, Maine.
Credit: Excerpted from Dear Specimen by W.J Herbert (Beacon Press, 2021). Reprinted with permission from Beacon Press.
W.J. Herbert’s latest book is Dear Specimen. Visit with her and her work at the Miami Book Fair 2021.
Welcome to SWWIM Every Day’s preview coverage of Miami Book Fair (MBF) 2021! The poets whose work you’ll be reading every weekday from October 25 through November 12 are just a few of the many authors from around the world participating in this year’s MBF, the nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. They all look forward to sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas both in person and online. Between November 14 and November 21, new poet conversations and readings will be launched and available for free on miamibookfaironline.com (in addition to other content). For more information, visit the website and follow MBF on Instagram and Twitter at @miamibookfair and use the hashtag #miamibookfair2021.
