Excerpts from "Blood, Orange"

I. tissue

an ivory start, a deep

golden lock of hair and

a magnifying glass.

items only seen in a

mirror that bends

at will—

an opening. born

out of necessity,

a means to an end.

my mother’s tissue is

expanding to fit us all.

II. tether

i am unsure if there is a rope

or a feeling tethering us together,

hand to hand

i am unsure if there is a rope

or a feeling tethering us together,

palm to palm

i am unsure if there is a rope

or a feeling tethering us together,

through the fingerprints we share

III. trial and toothache

a sack of blood [and] oranges

i carry with me over and over,

a repeated practice

until my knuckles are weary

and i can no longer support their

purple insides and pith.