Ava C. Cipri’s Comments

“Lydia”: A poem naming one of my first loves as a girl. We create a fragile sanctuary between us amidst the violence in our lives.

“How I Came to This Place”: Here is a struggle to be free from under another’s gaze.

“Six Month Anniversary with Vermeer”: Marks the six-month anniversary with a former lover using topography as a point of entry into difficult territory.

“Not That Woman”: One of my most risk-taking poems; it underscores loss, identity, and class issues that intensified a grappling for control.

“Post-Op at Father’s Bedside”: These are internal thoughts that I have yet to share with my father.

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