Sarah M. Wells

The MFA Administrator Responds to Email at the Residency

The MFA Administrator Responds to Email at the Residency- A Found PoemThe washer and dryer require payment, but they aren’t coin operated.You’ll needto swipe a gift cardyou can buyfrom the bookstore.If it is broken,we will need to submit a work ticket to fix it.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

I woke up with yesterday’s frustrations heavy on my chest and lodged in my gut, a physical ache I’d like to attribute only to a glass of wine before bed and not enough water. I padded down the hall and wondered whether I could convince Henry to go back to sleep after he ate so I couldContinueContinue reading “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

The Day in Two Parts

I.Tonight I want to be ten pounds lighter. I want to have written more pages of an essay that sounds brilliant instead of boring even to me. I want to have weeded my back patio more thoroughly. I want my day lilies to still be blooming in two and a half weeks but I knowContinueContinue reading “The Day in Two Parts”

The Freshmaker

It’s official – maternity leave is over. The transition back hasn’t been too painful so far. I’m fortunate to live so close to home, and that my baby is just about the best and easiest little guy ever. Not only has he slept as many as eight hours overnight, he’s waking up to eat just whenContinueContinue reading “The Freshmaker”

Devotional

“Devotional”In the morning when I rise give me a hot cup of tea. Burn away the bitterwith a couple dabs of melted butter on a bisquit dripped with honey,or a steamy bowlful of old-fashioned oatmeal, strawberries and brown sugar.If only every day began with all this sweetness.

For Freedom

“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.” Psalm 119:45 “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:12-13″In him and throughContinueContinue reading “For Freedom”

Peace, Not War – Online and Print Publication

In the last few days I’ve been thinking again about publication. Unlike my last meditation on posting poems to a blog site, my most-read post to-date, I’ve been thinking about how hard we all work (and how much money we all spend) trying to get our poems published in elite literary journals, like Poetry and the likes. ContinueContinue reading “Peace, Not War – Online and Print Publication”

In the Center Ring: Motherhood vs. Work

Ugh. I am three full weeks away from the end of my maternity leave.You people must know I love my job– I do. It is one of those job descriptions that feels as if it was written precisely with me in mind. I’ve been at Ashland for four years now, helping to build a low-resContinueContinue reading “In the Center Ring: Motherhood vs. Work”

Balancing the Writer Life with the Mom Life

Last night I wrote a poem for the first time in several months. I go through seasons of creativity – like the seeds I just sowed in the garden yesterday, it takes a while for my ideas to germinate. Eventually, the seeds pop, the stems poke through the soil, and before you know it, youContinueContinue reading “Balancing the Writer Life with the Mom Life”

Confessions of a Tubal Ligation

It’s been a week since our newest, and last, son – Henry Delbert – arrived safely into the world via c-section. He is absolutely beautiful, perfectly content and as predictable of a baby as I’ve experienced. Ever since we became pregnant with Henry, I’ve been coming to terms with this being our last baby -ContinueContinue reading “Confessions of a Tubal Ligation”