<\/p>\n
And the girls that held my hair back
\nat the water fountain or the toilet.
\nGirls prettier than me, better teeth.
\nAnd the pimpled teen that held out
\nan umbrella at the bus stop,
\nas rain pelted the city sidewalks.
\nI am reminded about grace\u2014
\nHuman beings touching, making contact.
\nUnctuous hugs by friends in sweaters
\nover coffee on a snowy day.
\nThe wet shoes of our beings.
\nA warmth that lights the way.
\n(Because we\u2019re all going to die.)
\nThis morning, a hummingbird flew
\nso close to my shoulder, I felt
\nthe motor of her tiny wings\u2014
\nlike a baby\u2019s milky breath.
\nOr that stranger that bought
\nme coffee on a day made from hell\u2014
\nThe lady that just worked a nightshift,
\noffered me her seat on the bus, because I was
\neight months pregnant. This afternoon, I ate
\na sandwich made by my lover\u2019s.
\nfamiliar hands. My tender war chest\u2014
\na penned note with a jagged hand-drawn heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
And the girls that held my hair back<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8982,"template":"","categories":[9,49,119],"tags":[889,1853],"class_list":["post-8964","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aquifer","category-literary-features","category-poetry","tag-aquifer","tag-cynthia-atkins"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n