The Returning Or Circling Of Perception by Laura Ann Reed

The Returning Or Circling Of Perception

“This is still Eden, alright”, I remind myself.
But today seems to call for some recalibration.
Or maybe it’s only me that needs it.
I can hear my father saying, “Just be yourself,
dear.” Making everything better and worse.
He’d hijack this poem if I let him. Instead,
I attend to the sounds foregrounding
the morning: the washing machine whining
into its final spin; my husband crunching
his cereal, impeding my breakfast reading.
A vicious stab in my upper back recalls
the therapist who said, “shoulder-blade pain
can signal the wish to punch the hell
out of something.” This is husband number
two, the Keeper, mind you. Tomorrow,
I’ll be taking my earplugs to the table.

*

Laura Ann Reed is a Contributing Editor with The Montréal Review. She holds master’s degrees in clinical psychology as well as in the performing arts. Her poems have appeared in seven anthologies, including Poetry of Presence II, as well as in numerous journals. Her most recent work is forthcoming in ONE ART, Illuminations, The Ekphrastic Review, SWWIM, and Main Street Rag. Her forthcoming chapbook, Homage to Kafka, will be published in July 2025. https://lauraannreed.net/