Jennifer L. Freed
Jennifer L. Freed’s recent poetry appears in Atlanta Review, OneArt, Rust and Moth, Vox Populi, and What The House Knows. Her collection When Light Shifts, exploring themes of identity, body, and care-giving, was a finalist for the 2022 Sheila Margaret Motton Book Prize and the 2025 Medal Provocateur, was short-listed for the 2025 Eric Hoffer Grand Prize, and was second place for the Eric Hoffer Legacy Prize. She teaches adult education programs from Massachusetts. Please visit Jfreed.weebly.com
Turns
These days, my mother asks me
to transcribe notes for her—
a graduation card to a grandchild,
condolences to the children
of her best friend.
More and more, gaps
punctuate her speech.
She doesn’t know how often
her phrases repeat: I’m sorry…I wish…
I’m glad…I wish…I’m sorry…
I sit across from her at the low table
in front of her wheelchair, pen hovering.
Her eyes fade in and out of focus.
Shadows drift across her face.
I remember watching my daughters—
how their faces bloomed
when they searched, then found
the words they wanted
me to write for them, stories
they illustrated with scrawls
like my own when I was small,
when my mother
was the one with pen poised,
waiting.
