Hall Mirror by Gail Mazur

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend February 28, 2017   Hall Mirror   Gail Mazur

Federal style, two small chips in the gilt frame, found at a flea market in the Eisenhower '50s.   19th century American lovingly refinished, loving gift of my mother: It's too good for you, so take care of it!   Some winter mornings here the taut lit face of Ethel Rosenberg,  or the ecstatic face of Blake,   punim of my 6-year-old grandmother, arriving stunned and mute from Vilna, her big sister Lena waiting,   who knew what was at stake.   Oh my fierce mother, sanding away at the kitchen table protected by newspapers, The Herald, The Forward, The Traveler, her little brush, her jar of paste preserving and inventing the past— for what?   For me.   For today, half-conscious glimpse of myself on my way out for a walk in February snow, with a friend, or alone,   my blue woolen hat, my mirror smile…            Copyright © 2017 Gail Mazur. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   "I'm not usually conscious of glancing in the mirror daily on my way out the door, still sometimes I'm stopped by what I see there. The old mirror, reflecting its histories of aspiration, immigration, injustice—my family were Rosenbergs, too—and ecstasy, 'arrested' me one cold morning—and triggered 'Hall Mirror.'" —Gail Mazur   Gail Mazur is the author of Forbidden City (University of Chicago Press, 2016). She is a Visiting Professor in the MFA Program at Boston University and splits her time between Cambridge and Provincetown, Massachusetts.   Photo credit: Debi Milligan    Poetry by Mazur   Forbidden City (University of Chicago Press, 2016)  "canvas and mirror" by Evie Shockley "My Brother's Mirror" by Donald Platt "The Secret in the Mirror" by Alberto Ríos Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. If you enjoy Poem-a-Day, please consider making a donation to help make it possible. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038