Sundress Reads: Review of The Mothers

To be mothered by a poetry book about mothering is a unique experience, gained by reading The Mothers by Erika Eckart (Finishing Line Press 2025). Each section of this book is immersive, tugging at your heart, your soul, your past, and your future. What immediately drew me in was the title alone. Simple yet evocative, The Mothers. With so many connotations, so many interpretive trajectories, a title like this invites you on a journey with an unpredictable outcome, one that is expressive and enticing nonetheless, tugging at your heart, your soul, your past, and your future. What immediately drew me in was the title alone. Simple yet evocative, The Mothers. With so many connotations, so many interpretive trajectories, a title like this invites you on a journey with an unpredictable outcome, one that is expressive and enticing nonetheless..

The beginning of the book focuses on the bond between a child and their mother. This connection is which is formed by birth and the umbilical cord—cut, yet still connected in spirit. Eckart focuses on the processes of becoming; the process of becoming oneself apart from being a mother or a child. In the first poem, “Mycelium” Eckart writes, “I can’t figure out where I end and my children begin.” This reflection sets the tone for the book, inviting everyone to explore their own connections with where they come from, who they are, and who they are becoming.

Towards the middle, Eckart pulls towards motherhood being expressed as hungry. With titles such as “Teeth” and “Gluttony” Eckart makes it known how motherhood can feel, and how it can be experienced. In “Teeth” particularly, the lines, “you are reminded how your babies leeched your bones to make theirs, how they hollowed you out” are chilling. The choice of words “leeched” and “hollowed” shift focus to the effect of being a mother, what becomes of her through this life-creating and life-changing process—a perspective that is often left out. The choice of a more haunting metaphor evokes a sense of fear, yet  also a realization, that can come from motherhood. Utilizing such language helps express these feelings and experiences to those unfamiliar with them, as everyone, in some way or another, has encountered fear. In “Natural Causes” Eckart focuses not only on the effect of motherhood, but also accurately focuses on the parts one has to give up. She uses the figure of a mother octopus, prioritizing how she will never eat again in order to breed and guard their eggs. This, once again, is a shift in focus that caught my attention. A representation of another side or feeling of motherhood that is often normalized or romanticized, rather than critically examined.

In the last section, Eckart includes the narrator’s reflection on her own motherhood. What struck me the most was the short fiction section, “Adaptation.” Eckart tackles the burden of genes, the passing down of traits and suffering. She suggests that these elements cannot be stripped from one’s DNA. This sense of inheritance leaves one “bruised at the edges” and implies that, if one chooses to have children, these burdens will inevitably be passed on. She follows this up, saying, “Your genes take these secret messages about the past to your future,” which, to me, is a beautiful way of linking those who came before you with those who will come after. The Mothers is an experience that is almost impossible to put into words. It pulls you to think about the past, the future, and how you use the present. Eckart offers up a different perspective  on motherhood without shame, inviting mothers to express their frustrations and concerns.

Order your copy of The Mothers today!

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