Elizabeth Kirschner

Elizabeth Kirschner is a writer and master gardener, living on the water in Kittery Point, ME, with her little dog, Albert, and loves to travel. Prior publications include six volumes of poetry, and an award- winning memoir, WAKING THE BONES.

Response to creative prompt: "When I look in the mirror, I see..."

TENANTS OF THE LITTLE BOX, a title taken from Vasko Popa, is a story that chronicles illness, in this case a seizure disorder. After returning home from a stay in the ICU, the speaker looks in the mirror to see her face, "which is a belt cinched tight." What resumes is a heartbreaking tale of how illness impacts one small family.

This story is part of a debut collection titled, WHY IS THE COLOR OF THE SNOW. By no means my first book, nor my last, these stories~varied, intense, lyrical~are best described by a piece of art I own. In it, three children gaze up at a dark, ominous sky, hence the title.