Tess Gallagher is a poet, essayist, and short story writer, and the author of numerous poetry collections, including Instructions for a Double, Midnight Lantern: New and Selected Poems, and a collaborative work, Boogie-Woogie Crisscross from Madhat Press. Her husband, the late Raymond Carver, encouraged her to write stories, and her collections include The Lover of Horses, At the Owl Woman Saloon, and The Man from Kinvara. Her book Moon Crossing Bridge is a collection of love poems written for Carver after his death in 1988. Gallagher has taught at various institutions, including St. Lawrence University, the University of Montana, the University of Arizona, Syracuse University, Bucknell University, and Whitman College.

Photograph by Brian Farrell.

Oliver

by Tess Gallagher

He appears like a genie
in my sun-shattered kitchen,
ten years old going on fifty. He’s
full of eagerness this first day
of his spring holidays. “I’m
coming to see you, Tess, every day!”

So he exposes those near me
for their casual reluctance.
Croissants are coming out
of the oven. His timing exact.
Yes, he’ll have a cup of tea
with his. He settles himself
People on couch
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