Slow motion - Janette Schafer

A cento composed from lines/phrases from
Jason Irwin’s memoir, “These Fragments I Have Shored”

I was about to reach out to her—
my mother had lost a lot of blood.
I thought of the times we drove across
town. I imagine she assuaged herself
with coffee and cigarettes and music.
I felt the desire to just drive away.
Together we ran down the hallway—
slow motion style. Some nights
as I lay in bed, I could hear it ticking.
I considered my prayers had been
answered. I painted the shutters.
Our new home became a sanctuary.

Janette Schafer is a poet, photographer, playwright, and realtor living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She holds an MFA in poetry from Chatham University. She is the author of three collections of poetry and the chief editor of two poetry anthologies. Her writing and photographs have appeared in numerous journals, newspapers, and websites, including Vox Populi, The Missouri Review, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Eunoia Review. She is a winner of the Academy of American Poets Prize.