Synkroniciti is delighted to welcome Houstonian poet Tamara Nicholl-Smith with “To My Husband on The Anniversary of His Father’s Death,” which acknowledges that some of us don’t feel a sense of belonging within our family. “Your father decided:/ it must have been you/ his youngest son/ who did not quite fit./ The holes were round,/ but your edges were wavy/ like the sea…” Tamara uses the metaphor of a buzzing fly to symbolize the constant irritation of being different, recognizing that the dissonance in the relationship does not stem from a lack of love. “What he could not say:/ how it broke him/ to see you so close/ and know you wanted/ to be so far.” Repetition and indentation provide structure as well as visual appeal and Tamara’s use of imagery and metaphor is lovely and effective, combining the conversational with the imaginative. This is narrative poetry on a introspective, heightened level, revealing the inner pathos which is often absent from our narratives.
Read “To My Husband on The Anniversary of His Father’s Death” in Synkroniciti’s “Belonging” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Tamara Nicholl-Smith’s poetry has appeared on two Albuquerque city bus panels, one parking meter, numerous radio shows, a spoken-word classical piano fusion album, and in: America, Ekstasis, The Examined Life Journal, and Kyoto Journal. She recently completed her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Saint Thomas (Houston). She likes puns and enjoys her bourbon neat. Visit her at tamaranichollsmith.com