Caroline Giles Banks

Inside the Lines

Legal pads, yellow ones with thin blue rumble strips to keep a pen in line,
remain my choice for writing early drafts. I still keep a landline to hear
a longed-for human voice and, perhaps, the giggle of a baby or cat’s meow.
When asked at the start of a virtual workshop how I wish to be addressed
I enter Ms./Dr. in the chat. I notice that others have posted she/her, he/him,
they/them and am reminded that marital status and academic credentials
are no longer the preferred criteria for self-identity among younger generations.

earthbound
not yet
in the cloud

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About the Author

Caroline Giles Banks, born in Boston, Massachusetts, is a cultural anthropologist, and her poetry is often informed by her anthropological training and research. She is the author of six books of poetry, including The Clay Jar: Haiku, Senryu and Haibun Poems, The Weight of Whiteness: A Memoir in Poetry, and Picture a Poem: Ekphrastic and Other Poems. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.