Underwater the waves can’t be felt.
Lonely we stand in silence eternal
like the ebbing flow of the tides.
Steadied by boulders our thighs are remote,
our hair of seaweed drifts gently
in time with the breath of the sea.
Silent we dream of our sunken children,
our empty wombs feel the weight
of the water. We cannot sing to the rhythm
of the sea, the noiseless screech of our tongue
no longer reveals who we are.
Federica Santini lives in Atlanta, Georgia. A literary critic, poet, and translator, her work has appeared in over twenty journals in North America and Europe, including Autografo, The Ocotillo Review, JIT, il verri, and Snapdragon, and for the University of Toronto Press and Firenze University Press among others.
Allison is continually inspired by nature, her relationships with other women, and the small moments and observations of daily life. Her work is a mixture of observations, reactions, and reflections on experiences, conversations, and emotions. These collages are from her Mother series, created in May of 2020. Each collage in the series celebrates and reflects on Motherhood from the experience of daughter and mother. After studying Printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduating in 2001, Allison worked as a jewelry and accessories designer in New York’s Fashion District. Over the next several years, Allison chose to become an art educator and is currently pursuing her own artistic career. Allison lives and works in Mamaroneck, NY, with her husband and two young children.