Torrent
by Clara Hsu


for Julia
    Let the wrinkles on my face gather you
    the warmth of my palm relieve the throb
    Let my tears melt the broken glass
    you haphazardly glue
    my breath to slow the tempest
    that dims your smile.

    When you are very young
    you climb onto my lap
    with your chubby feet
    hold my downcast head
    dot kisses on my cheeks.
    Your wispy hair
    brush my face
    and in that moment
    I see crimson azaleas
    bloom in the window box.

    It shall be our calling then
    mother and child,
    for in the beginning
    long before we know our names
    we press against each other
    swirling, tumbling
    in a terrain of perpetual torrent.






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