moss between my fingernails following birth-

marks on cracked bark     un-nested bugs crawling

to breathe into her mouth-less-

ness melting into cheeks trickling

down     when my magnolia turns

blue i ponder

and mend forget-me-nots

soft pastries my mother used to make

that i stuff inside her favourite branch     hush-

ing myself into the woods chasing brooks with sticker-charms

and sweaty-palms     remem-ber bleeding onto

your best friend’s neighbour’s porch after mass

 

re-member colourful animals she gave you

 

sacrificial   remember flying two streets

 

across your child-ish town

 

and hoping to see her

again-just-once

 

 

 

Words by Ayna Li Taira, Artwork by Peng Yao.