For our
Mother
In golden
light she freely yields
to hands that
stroke and tenderly coax,
fair-haired
strands into cornrow braids.
(I can still hear her sigh,
her moans of delight).
Lie down
here and rest against her warmth,
this place
where cottonwoods whisper
and poplars
reply, with waves lapping beyond.
(I can still hear her sigh,
her moans of delight).
Lulled by
this stillness spoon closer in
to the
cadence and beat of her heart.
Cradled
here, yield, to the warmth, to the field.
(I can still hear her sigh,
her moans of delight).
Catherine
Haynes