Anna Gibbs

Lacerations

It had started to snow and I put the kettle on to boil some water for tea while I put on my snow boots and a heavy winter coat. It felt like a snow specific for me; just a few nights before, I had stood next to my car after I parked in my driveway, …

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On growing old

hope, winter, rest

In winter, the wharf turns quiet and still. Tired couples walk strollers as ice snaps And the elderly make tea with rose hips. School buses follow the coast and turn orange In the sharp sunrise. And I can hear horses, That quiet way the estuary shifts and steams. I sit at Cynthia’s table and watch …

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Where in the world is Denmark? and other things you may not have known about the happiest country in the world

When I chose to study abroad in Denmark, I only knew that it was once ranked the happiest country in the world. I didn’t know its population size, or its cuisine, or its traditions, or even its location. I wasn’t alone in this boat either. The day that I left to study abroad in January …

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A preface and three poems

Last spring I worked on a collection of poetry about my hometown. Here is the preface and a few poems. This is their public debut – hope you enjoy. —- Ipswich, Massachusetts, was founded in 1634 by John Winthrop’s son. This is the story I know: John Winthrop (who founded Boston) wanted to create “a …

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Ode to my Fifth Rejection this Month

email, mail, contact

The emails start with “thank you,” and the gratitude comes from knowing I don’t need to open them to see what’s inside, until when inevitably I do I look only for the word “unfortunately”: