Sunday Poem

Mother's Home Ritual for Quenching Fires

Unwind your garden hose……..Lady bird, lady bird
……….lay it across the insatiable lawn
………………..do not turn it on

Drink wine from a jar
……….shake the dregs
………………..into your palm
……………………………………..fly away home

Bathe in a tub without water
……….walk into the kitchen with your eyes closed
………………..stare at the horizon
……………………………………..your house is on fire

Build towers of ash on the walk
……….the vacant swings
………………..the back seat of your car
……………………………………..your children are gone

Borrow sugar from a neighbor
……….let it melt in the driveway
………………..give away your matches
……………………………………..all except one

Write the fire on your laundry list
……….set it aflame
………………..watch the name curl into ash
……………………………………..and that's Little Anne

Dine with firefighters
……….wear a sundress with nothing underneath
………………..say a prayer to St. Barabara
……………………………………..for she has crept under your warming pan

Steady your hand above a basin or water……….Lady bird, lady bird
………pretend to read your fortune there
………………..pretend you are not thirsty.

by M.L. Brown
from Blackbird; Vol 8. No. 2