Memory *
a nest of ghosts
the body’s language
of breath and teeth
a story lapping flames
the trembling mouth
of my mother’s fear
O how you ruin
* Erasure from Sally Rosen Kindred’s poem “Let Me Pray”
8 thoughts on "Memory *"
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I love what you did with this! Erasure poems are one of my new favorite genres to explore. “the trembling mouth/of my mother’s fear” is perfect.
Nice, Karen. I like how the poem revolves around the mouth – makes the images that much tighter.
“O how you ruin”! Oh goodness! Erasures (for me) are very hard, so kudos for mastering them.
Chills with that last line! Another great piece.
Deeply evocative. Love “nest of ghosts.” Wonderful, Karen.
Ghosts take up no room in the body’s nest, with every breath still demanding to be fed.
Haunting. Love it!
Thanks, everyone!