Author photo by Matte O'Brien

Thomas March is a poet, critic, and teacher who lives in New York City. His poetry column, "Appreciations," which appears regularly in Lambda Literary Review, promotes new work by offering close readings of poems from recent collections. His work has also appeared in The Believer, The Huffington Post, Bellevue Literary Review, The Account, The Common Online, Confrontation, The Good Men Project, Pleiades, Public Pool, and RHINO.




Thomas March

My Mother Knew How



It could be fall or early spring — because her coat is buttoned up and there is wind in some stray hairs but no flinching — in that photo of my mother by whoever loved her that way at seventeen, a way that knew that her eyes could still dare him through those thick glasses and her half-smile was just as much as she could give in confidence and still take back.

One of my mother's boyfriends took this picture of her when she was in high school. I don't remember when she first showed it to me, but it has been one of my favorites ever since. The beauty lies not only in her features themselves but in the carefree and serenely confident spirit that animates them.



Glass: A Journal of Poetry is published monthly by Glass Poetry Press.
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