Portrait of My Mother
JoAnne Tillemans
Empty canning jars lined up
ready for service.
Folded bath towels neatly stacked
fold side out.
Dish towels embroidered with days of the week
and kittens playing.
Sewing patterns lined
up in a drawer in her desk.
Several bird feeders and a purple martin house
watched from the kitchen sink.
A willow tree so vast
she could hardly see her husband
fishing on the lake.
About the Author
JoAnne Tillemans grew up in a scattering of prairie towns in the Upper Midwest. Her work has appeared in the inaugural issue of The Dolomite Review. Other journals that have published her work include Chicago Quarterly Review, Mid-American Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, CALYX, and Lily Poetry Review. Her lyrical essay "I had almost left," was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Anhinga Press. Her poetry book, Broken Light was chosen as a semi-finalist selection for The Journal / Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize in 2024. JoAnne has an MFA from Pacific University in Poetry, a master's degree from Stanford and a Master's Certificate in Birding from the California Academy of Sciences. She has been a modern dancer in New York City and a banker in London. Website: https://joannetillemanswriter.com/.