She’s been there for several months, and in that brief time her memory
has faded further. She recollects very little and struggles to summon
up words. Our scheduled video calls are not so much exchanges as me
recounting the latest events in my life. It’s not easy to muster interesting
anecdotes, so sometimes I repeat myself. When I do, I feel minimal guilt,
since I know that to my mother each telling is fresh. I use as much humour
as possible. She still relishes a good laugh ...
Prose, in its entirety, is available in the printed version of the current issue.
Bio:
Ruth PANOFSKY has published four books of poetry, most recently Bring Them Forth (Ekstasis Editions, 2022). She contributes reviews and essays to the Literary Review of Canada and teaches at Toronto Metropolitan University.