My mother, a green witch
creates between trees
stunning natural tableaus
of stone, flowers, trunks, and moss
she recites plants’ latin names,
knows when it is time to bury or replant.

Spell is another word for
prayer
recipe
map
love letter
eulogy
meditation.

My sister, a shapeshifter
embodies imagined characters
onscreen and onstage
the hot lights animate
the voice, face, limbs, gait of the woman
she possesses for the night.

Nature is
cyclical
diverse
adaptive
indiscriminate
balanced
social.

My grandmother, a siren
passed down her mezzo soprano;
when I sing I imagine her
pressing down my diaphragm
wrinkled hands, perfectly manicured, bejeweled
in case a chance to play the piano presents.

Ritual is another way to say
sacrament
thanksgiving
fast
feast
dedication
naming.

Man shunned and hanged healers in Salem
dismisses The Moon’s influence as mythology
builds machines to mimic creativity
to advise without empathy.
The orcas, dolphins, bees send signs;
their matriarchs grow agitated
waiting for us to collectively remember.