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.