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  • Gifts
  • Meg Eden (bio)

My mother putsBible tractsin my cousins' giftsbecause she doesn't knowhow to talk to them.She knowsthis is important,and there's only so much time,so she gives themwatchesbecause timeis a giftwe all could use more of.My cousinshide their laughs well,study the gift receiptstaped to the back of the box.How well-meaningand wordless we arewhen it comes to eternity.As a girl I used to hand out tractsat Best Buy, thinking myselfa spiritual superhero,like I might savesomeone from Hellwith my personal marketing skills.Now I say too little, afraidmy voice will come out [End Page 189] instead of the Spirit's,afraid of how inadequatea replacement for Goda piece of paper is,afraid of that lookmy cousins are giving right now.But despite her fears, my mother spoke—and I admire this. [End Page 190]

Meg Eden

Meg Eden's work is published or forthcoming in magazines including Poetry Northwest, Crab Orchard Review, RHINO, and CV2. She teaches creative writing at Anne Arundel Community College. She is the author of five poetry chapbooks, the novel Post-High School Reality Quest (Rare Bird), and the poetry collection Drowning in the Floating World (Press 53). She runs the Magfest MAGES Library blog, which posts accessible academic articles about video games. Visit www.megedenbooks.com.

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