What led my father to recite Milton’s sonnet? It was just him and me in the living room, and though I couldn’t have been more than nine or ten, I knew something momentous was happening. I’d never seen him like that, riding a wave of emotion in a sea far beyond me. All I could do was watch him go—the father I wanted to know better, and would never know.

day labor—
the blank pages
stand and wait

Cynthia Anderson

A California resident and poet for more than 40 years, Cynthia Anderson is the author of 12 books, most recently Arrival (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2023). Her poems have been published widely in journals and anthologies, and she has received multiple nominations for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Her recent work focuses on the natural world and her family history. She is co-editor of the anthology A Bird Black As the Sun: California Poets on Crows & Ravens (Green Poet Press).

Author’s website: www.cynthiaandersonpoet.com