Secret Waters (Women's Poetry)

Linda Brown's years of listening to other people's stories serve her well in telling her mother's story beyond the facts of Alzheimer's. She also bears witness to the men and other women who have learned a new rhythm for their days. We recognize ourselves standing just beyond this walled garden. Brown invites us into the corridors of nursing homes. She doesn't gloss over the isolation of the sick and the dying, but tells the larger stories of people she has come to know in her weekly visits to feed a mother who waters plastic flowers, who puts on three blouses at a time. Brown invites us to step into 'secret waters'. Her vision is personal: men and women have names and stories that make us laugh, wince, and wink, sometimes all at the same time. We know these stories. This is our family. That is the secret. Jane Schwab