Aubade’s Consequence

 

Jocabed
MFA Boston

Aubade’s Consequence 

 

“Enlightenment,” wrote one master,

“is an accident, though certain efforts make you accident-prone.”

           

                                                Jane Hirshfield

                                                Inspiration

 

You look, though only once

or twice in your entire

lifetime, as a mother

 

and say I made

            this and you hold the bones & still

            living skin & thumb

            the knuckles, counting them counting on them

            to be

            warm 

            always present always gentle almost al-

                                                                                    ways

                        (because there will be days

                                    won't there be days?

                                    weren’t there days?)

            & you flatten the palm and want

            to be able

            to read every pattern

            every alphabet

            to divine

            a future.  But you don’t.  You don’t.  Instead

            you close your child’s hand over

            your own two 

            fingers and bring the knuckles

            to your mouth and touch them

            the way you used to

            when they were new

            when they were little

            when they were skinned

                        & bleeding

            & you tasted the salt and the blood

                        you made.