goodnight mom i love you

in the garden of forking paths
where we bury nurse plants
is where i lost you
i wish i knew you before you knew me
it’s late mom we should sleep 

grandma cornrows the branches
of our hair together in separate directions
the pain flings us back together
good night mom i love you

me and mom are the same
haunted by the ghosts of yesterday
night falls, our hearts fall with it
it’s late mom we should sleep  

when the world is caught in wintertide
life in the garden is stillborn
mom might wonder how
the snow lost its color
and i wonder when i lost a mother
good night mom i love you 

•

Lilura Chacez (they/them) is a black lesbian based in Brooklyn with a deep interest in writing about body horror, mommy issues, and the loneliness that lives in the MTA transit system. They have been published in two anthologies. When they aren’t writing they’re trying to keep their sweet potato seedlings alive and scorching their tongue with spicy food.

Edited by Cecilia Innis