Gloss by Frances Boyle

Gloss

Our mothers gather

tea trays portraits joy

Display us in rows

Pride of presentation

contains lives rinsed of

hurtful words childish

scorn loss My polished

years translucent

have a bone china lustre

Frances Boyle is a Canadian writer living in Ottawa. Her most recent book is Openwork and Limestone (Frontenac House 2022). In addition to two earlier poetry collections, she is the author of Tower, a novella (Fish Gotta Swim Editions, 2018) and Seeking Shade, an award-winning short story collection (The Porcupine’s Quill 2020). Her novel, Skin Hunger, is forthcoming in 2024. Places where her recent work appears or is forthcoming include Parentheses Journal, tiny wren, The Windsor Review and Rogue Agent. Visit www.francesboyle.com and follow @francesboyle19 on both Twitter and Instagram.