Cynthia Anderson

Cynthia Anderson has published 12 poetry collections, most recently Arrival (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2023) and Full Circle (Cholla Needles Press, 2022). Her poems appear frequently in journals and anthologies, and her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. She has lived in California for over 40 years. www.cynthiaandersonpoet.com

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Knobs and Pulls

I go from room to room,
opening cabinets and drawers—
the cup-shaped pulls so easy to reach,
the knobs at just the right height—
our 80s cupboards finally updated,
no longer blank-faced, the kind
you grab anywhere to open or shut,
the finish worn to bare wood.
Now they’re freshly painted and
topped with oil rubbed bronze
hardware, and new felt pads
to stop the least hint of a bang—
such simple things, but profound
when what you had before was
nothing, the nothing you learned
to live with and ignore, willing
yourself not to see the damage
right in front of you. Sometimes
you don’t know what you lack
until you have it. I just want
to open them all so I can close
and then open them again.