By: Mawi Sonna
start by mixing
too many wishes
grind them under
the pestle’s pressure
crush
holy thistle
cinnamon
and blood lily after
you’ve called down
grief
after you’ve called down
how love fails you
but don’t forget
shades of larkspur
buried under dry basil
a marigold’s mane
picked bit
by bit
when whispering
to the mortar
why you didn’t bottle
resurrection ferns
why his fragrance
no longer lingers
instead offer salted
nectar
from his star
ursa major
the other
lynx
the last
wonder
dripping down
the granite pillar
repeating this hymn
repeating
repeating
Mawi Sonna is a poet from Kansas City. She is currently a Seaton Fellow in Creative Writing at Kansas State University. Her work has previously appeared in Touchstone Literary Magazine, The Hole In The Head Review, and others.
"Even through loss and heartbreak, this poem seeks to be re-enchanted by the world and beauty."