Poetry: For My Mother by Erin Mansur-Smith

Wasp egg embedded
In the sheath of a ghost orchid

Volcanic ash settled
On the face of the marble frieze

My mother always held me
Cautiously

I was the smudge on her page
In the Book of Common Prayer

Her shade,
She said

Like a wishbone caught
In her delicate throat

I cut off her air.

Dana Stirling is a still life and fine art photographer. Born 1989 in Israel, Stirling is the Co-Founder & Editor-In-Chief of Float Photo Magazine.