From movie making to medical misadventures, meditations on widowhood to feminist protestations, Expectation Days is a dazzling portrayal of instances in Sandra McPherson’s life. Her autobiographical collection uses peculiar and exact language to reflect on a wide range of activities that include grouse hunting, going through airport security after 9/11, and climbing a coastal cliff. From being an unintended child to ceremonializing a lifetime “served,” McPherson speaks in both clear and distressing voices from the state of speechless fear that is bereavement. Will the little figures ever reach the monument? A doctor orders me to be on watch. Will the mist pass over their cheeks and clear the strollers’ eyes? If so, I’ll see it. I’m on watch. I train my eyes on paintings to see if there is any change. --from “On Suicide Watch”
