Catherine Anderson: Poet and Author

Catherine Anderson is a poet and nonfiction writer with a keen interest in people, art, and the spirit that moves us. Her career has been dedicated to helping immigrants and refugees forge new lives in communities across the Midwest and the East Coast. Her forthcoming book, Afloat, is the Birdy Poetry Prize winner for 2025 from Meadowlark Press.

The Word Ache, with Its Own Sadness

Once a rhyme with the word match

in Middle English, that soft

ch at the end again,

hovering like a touch.

Through the ages of English,

the word also meant a longing after loss,

the remainder of pain.

In the plural, if you can imagine

multiple losses— a home,

a country, a family—you hear

a word that comes close

to the sound of ashes,

yet the e always silent

because aches are imperceptible

to the one sitting beside the other

who yearns in daylight,

who hesitates to speak

among strangers.

Published in the Dunes Review, fall/winter, 2024