MOST MAGIC COMES SECONDHAND
RENEE CHRISTOPHER
sit with legs pressed tight
together
thighs
see -sawing
against
each other
aching
to blossom
to be a lady
my mother said
is all about knowing
where to hide
she said her grandmother
not so long ago
told her
to keep the gods
always close
not Jesus
the gods
from home
I wish I knew
my grandmother and
what she meant
by telling
my mother
sugar cane knows
the meaning
of silence by the edge
of the water
and why
when she stored
a split plum seed
between her legs
said the earth
will tell all your secrets
∘∘∘