transfiguration

lit by the soft glow     of maple

candles adorn     this large tub

filled with rainbows     ricocheting

from quartz in every color     she

walks in     sits down beside me     smiling

a mother i didn’t know i had     wordlessly

washes my hair     hums a lullaby

in a dialect     before time became time

is of no importance here     i am allowed

to rest in the womb of this water     all night

if desired     she drops oil from cinnamon

clove and nutmeg     into my palm     and i

become the falling     Christmas Eve snow

*Published in Issue 1.35 of FEED