To My Mom
I’m sewing tonight
I’m nervously cutting and hemming
Three layers of polyester satin and georgette
Polyester thread
Rolled hem without pins
Pulled tight through the feed dogs
I’m removing beads
One at a time
From a layer of tulle
Reattaching with a blind stitch between
Quilter’s knot at the end of each row
After I’ve adjusted seams to fit
Your daughter’s daughter’s shape
I know how
To sew
To hem
To cut
To bead
Alone
But I always call
Ask for your advice anyway
I’m not calling tonight
Though my mind and hands have
Reached to dial your number
That no one answers anymore
Your body is there
Your face
The hands that taught mine these skills
But this part of you
The one place
That always opened
When other avenues between us
Were hard to pass
Has gone dark too
I miss you
And think
Would it be easier
If I could talk into the void
And wonder if you heard?
