I've always loved ekphrasis. When Marsden Hartley's exhibit came to the Farnsworth, I learned he often stayed with the Mason family in Nova Scotia, who in 1936 lost two sons and a nephew in a single drowning. His painting holds that moment. Since becoming a mother, my one recurring nightmare has been losing my children, or being powerless to save them. Like Hartley's painting, this poem offers a mother's interior view of loss that recurs daily.

Sara Lynn Eastler is the Managing Editor of Qu Literary Magazine and a freelance contributor to Southern Review of Books. Her poetry has recently been published in Cagibi, SoFloPoJo, Passengers Journal, and Sheila-Na-Gig. Sara teaches poetry at the Maine State Prison and has an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte.

W: www.saralynneastler.com
I: @saraeastler
F: Sara Lynn Eastler