Safekeeping
Where do all the touches go for safekeeping? If I could collect them in a jar Like a child’s treasure I’d bury them in a secret place And take you there one day Lead you by the hand To wrest our riches from the ground You’d twist the lid and all at once feel Everything Liquid pearls of my son’s three-month skin Matted muslin of my daughter’s wind-blown hair Gritty grains of grass seed, sown without a plan Nubby lace of little leaves, thyme creeping out of place Stony rounds of breakfast plates Slick-ribbed spines of story books Doughy yield of pillows, as we tuck our darlings in All these and more, I would keep safe for you Please tell your hands With all this washing Not to forget What they are meant to know
Christina won an out-of-county Honorable Mention. She is featured in our first official book publication, In the Quarantined Room: Reflections on the COVID-19 Experience in Indian River County, FL 2020. To find out more about the book and to purchase a copy, click here.
