Return to the White Chrysanthemums
Return to the White Chrysanthemums
By Esther Kamkar
My eyes,
having observed everything
returned to the white chrysanthemums.
-- Kosugi Issho (1652-1688)
Valeria face down on the bank of the Rio Grande
Honeycombs, baby’s ear, mother’s clavicle
Black hair, bare back
Blanket, apricots, orange tree in flower
An arm on the back of her father’s neck on matted reeds
Cobalt teal, geraniums, black olives
black shoes, size 6 toddler
Plum jam, clay pot, cicadas
Red pants, bloated diaper
Hairbrush, bookmark, fresh bread
River, bleeding
Herd of elephants, vineyard in autumn, night sky
Underside of a wrist, birdsong, soil clinging to roots
Esther Kamkar is an Iranian-American poet, the author of poetry collections "of such things”; “Hum of Bees”; and “Hummingbird Conditions.” She lives in northern California.