G in the flowers, by Lisa Yuskavage
She cuts the stems
One by one by one
One by one
The tight green stem breaks under her slightly calloused fingers
nothing like her mother’s her aunt’s or her grandmother’s fingers
but slightly calloused and slightly covered
in a light dirt
she learned a few times how to cut flowers
how to find the right size stem
how to slowly examine the stem for the right point before
gently making the cut and steadily placing it in the bouqet
joining the daisies pneumonias and tulips
gently slowly
while she doesn’t recognize her hands as those of her mother her aunt nor her grandmother
she remembers the quiet of their movements like the calming silence of a silent movie
and feels the dulling ache of a fresh callous on her finger
– jl
Lights in the Hand 