The just-finished rain made everything blunt
Tulips askew, breaking light
Reminding me
when my mother died that summer
And I needed to see her body
One last time
Her skinself
The grass and fire hydrants.
Sarah Stern is the author of We Have Been Lucky in the Midst of Misfortune, But Today Is Different, and Another Word for Love. Recipient of two Pushcart Prize nominations, Stern is also a five-time winner of the Bronx Council on the Arts’ BRIO Award for Poetry. More at www.sarahstern.me.