Were You My Sister?

after cyst removal surgery

she felt the spasms, watched the dark

mass slither down the bowl

she was not surprised, she

knew she would lose you, fourth

child — Esperanza de Felicidad —

she would go on

to bear a fifth, a second boy, despite

the doctors warning

but no, no second abortion —

remembering the bleeding after the first

so nearly killed her & would have

negated three more of us —

she disregarded their male

pleadings, taught John & me to read

while growing David, yes, a

happy child but not

you, my sister

#

new grapes

is the crossroads

space or line
end open or closed

square or
unfinished tri-
angle or parallelogram

who’s X, who’s O
are you playing across or
diagonal or down

let’s choose
where to cross
and how: checkers jump
or knight’s move

of letters is it L, T, or D
P, Q, or R
F or H, O, J
C or B, U or I
Y, X, or wannabe E

below is 3

common broom in flower, Cytisus scoparius