Mark Forrester
Unraveling
After my father’s death, my mother sorts through ninety years of accumulation. A pile of playbills from Broadway shows he attended in the 1950s is discarded: “I figured no one would be interested in those.” Assorted correspondence and records are handed over to the organizations he volunteered for. A stack of old letters from a college girlfriend goes to the burn barrel.
His filing cabinet holds manila folders bearing the names of his children, grandchildren, great-granddaughter. Letters, birthday cards, school programs, and other souvenirs are dutifully returned. In my folder, I find an unlabeled envelope containing woodpecker feathers. No note, no explanation.
diner coffee—
a slow fly’s orbit
widens
About the Author
Mark Forrester has taught English for more than 30 years at the University of Maryland, where his awards include recognition for his social justice and antiracist teaching. His chapbooks The World Disappears (2021) and Dreamer’s Moon (2024) were published by Buddha Baby Press. He is a high school dropout, a former chef, and a husband, father, and grandfather.