(After Ada Limon’s “The Quiet Machine”) I’m learning so many different ways to be hopeful. To ignore all the logical reasons that tell me to accept despair as a given. To wake up in the morning and still brush my teeth and wash my face and sprinkle my coffee with cinnamon because cleanliness and […]
Gloria Heffernan
Gloria Heffernan is the author of the and poetry collection, What the Gratitude List Said to the Bucket List, (New York Quarterly Books), and the book, Exploring Poetry of Presence: A Companion Guide for Readers, Writers, and Workshop Facilitators (Back Porch Productions). She has written two chapbooks: Hail to the Symptom (Moonstone Press) and Some of Our Parts, (Finishing Line Press). Her work has appeared in over seventy journals including Canary, Chautauqua, Columbia Review, Magma (UK), Stone Canoe, The Healing Muse, and Yale University's The Perch. She teaches at Le Moyne College and the Syracuse YMCA’s Downtown Writers Center.
The Geloscopist’s Craft
The ancients believed they could perceive any person’s character by studying their laugh. Although it fell out of favor ages ago, this art might be a boon in these dark days. So laugh, and let me tell you who you are. Set a feast on a blanket in the sun. I will […]
Fault Lines
I am fascinated by the multiple meanings of some words. The term “fault lines” is a prime example of the way those meanings can literally collide. I wrote this poem after a tragic event when a great deal of energy was expended on who to blame, rather than how to heal. We sift through the […]