Everything

Chanel No.5. Waxy lipstick. The clip clop of leather heels. Smell of my mother lingers since I was a little girl As an adult, I know my mother's scent A soft musk That I only get When I go in for a hug deep sighs and closed eyes a shot of hydration in the desert of passing time But as a mother, I see my daughter this radiant ridiculous joy and wonder Could she have been my mother in the faraway countryside smelling of manure mud, long blades of grass a hard days fragrance of

( for Mormor ) I met a wilting flower at autumn’s end. The chill in the air made us wrap our arms around each other not for warmth or comfort, but as a barrier against the arriving winter. I passed by her resting spot today. There was that small hump, the soft curve of a stem a summer well lived a wildflower gone to bed. She laid beneath the sky, petals spread like memories, leaves folded in the shape of a prayer. I imagine she bloomed first in the spring brighter, taller, fe

I'm Fine! What if instead of my mind It was my leg that broke And instead of racing thoughts I just had a hacking cough? Holding my breath Shaking my head Laughing but my eyes swollen shut Now I see it all My svelte body Half moon eyes Toothless smile Through the perilous night Proved that I was still here Now I’m like sequins in the sky Laughter bursts out of my core My belly aches And it jiggles! What if instead of saying “I’m fine” My skin turned, blue, then purple, then g