In Her Final Fall

by Donald A. Ranard

​In her final fall,
when she knew
she would not see
another spring,
my mother planted a garden.

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Donald A. Ranard's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, North American Review, New World Writing Quarterly, The Los Angeles Review, The Washington Post, The Best Travel Writing, and many other publications. In 2022, his award-winning play Elbow Apple Carpet Saddle Bubble was performed by Veterans Repertory Theater in Cornwall, New York. His writing was awarded Top Story of the week by 50 Word Story and Poem of the Week by Light Magazine. The son of an American diplomat, he grew up in Japan, Malaya, and Korea. After college, he studied Chinese in Taiwan, taught English on a Fulbright grant in war-torn Laos, and, following his evacuation from Laos, worked in refugee assistance programs in Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Philippines.

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