A postcard with this poem on it has been tacked above. my spice shelf for more years than I can count. I love it for its simplicity and for its quiet celebration of womanhood and for how gently it contains deep loss. I came to know Tess Gallagher’s work through my love of her husband Raymond Carver’s work. When I was 26 years old I sent Gallagher a postcard expressing my love for Carver’s work and how it encouraged me to be a writer. And to my amazement, she wrote back. Among what she said was “Brava.”
“Nothing can stop
our tenderness”
