JC Sulzenko
Back to where we belong
We’ve lived a week of wisdom teeth
My lovely 20-year-old in her white, iron bed—
a child gain for one short week—
sleeps badly, faints from too many painkillers…
Gold W J C Sulzenko writes with clarity and honesty, giving voice to emotions that many people feel but are reluctant to express. As both a mother and a poet, she offers reassurance to her readers, gently reminding us that letting go is, fundamentally, an act of love.
The poem Back to Where We Belong explores the gradual separation between mother and child as the child grows. Yet, no matter how much time passes, the child remains a child in the parents’ eyes. When a grown child returns home, a sense of independence gives way to the comfort of parental care. For a time, they are brought back to the closeness of earlier days. The poem observes this return, noting both the sweetness and the pain as each individual resumes their own life. JC shows that part of experiencing love is also feeling the ache that comes with parting.
JC’s writing is not simply an homage to parenthood, but an exploration of the many moments that define the experience of being a parent, whether it’s picking up a child from daycare or caring for them after a wisdom tooth operation. She finds meaning in the ordinary, revealing how love is woven into both grand and everyday gestures.
Ada Limón serves as an inspiration to JC. Both poets excel at capturing deep emotion in the rhythms of everyday life, drawing on vulnerability and authenticity. Limón’s influence is evident in Sulzenko’s honest portrayals of motherhood and relationships, where the personal becomes universal. Their poetry resonates for its sincerity and for the way it honours both connection and independence, reminding readers of the beauty in simply being present for one another.
JC’s words gently remind us that neither parent nor child needs to be perfect; acceptance and presence matter most. She encourages us to let each moment guide what comes next, rather than always planning ahead. This poem invites us to be present with loved ones, to hold space for each other, both shared and private. It is in these moments of vulnerability that genuine connection is found.
JC Sulzenko’s poetry appears in print and online either under her name or as A. Garnett Weiss; her books include Life, after life, from epitaph to epilogue (2024), Bricolage, A Gathering of Centos (Fred Kerner Book Award finalist, 2022), and South Shore Suite…POEMS (2017). She has also published children’s storybooks and a play about dementia. Her workshops have been hosted by the Ottawa International Writers Festival and other organizations. JC is a full member of the League of Canadian Poets, serves on the Ontario Poetry Society Board, and selects for bywords.ca.
JC Sulzenko is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent Children call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the 2026 ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Children issue.
