All posts by Sara Backer

Sara Backer’s first book of poetry, Such Luck (Flowstone Press, 2019), follows two poetry chapbooks: Scavenger Hunt (dancing girl press, 2018) and Bicycle Lotus, which won the 2015 Turtle Island chapbook award. Her honors include a 2019 Plough Poetry Prize, nine Pushcart nominations, and fellowships from the Norton Island and Djerassi resident artist programs. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Art and reads for The Maine Review. Recent and forthcoming publications include Tar River Poetry, Slant, CutBank, Lake Effect, Poetry Northwest, and Kenyon Review.

Home Health Nurse by Sara Backer

Home Health Nurse

His soft brown fingers explore my elbow, seeking
a sturdy vein. He calls me “Miss Sara” as if
I’m a Hollywood legend and I extend my breath
to ease the needle’s intrusion. As he tapes the shunt,
he asks if I’ve voted. Yes, two weeks ago, by mail. And you?
Three seconds—maybe four—his dark eyes looking
elsewhere before he says: I’m not a citizen.

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