Kyah Phelan

Bloodlines

Kyah Phelan

my mama’s mama bleeds starlight from her scalp lullabies sewn into her smile lines and goodnight kisses on her fingertips her arms open like the doors of a church all refuge and color and devotion all water to wine and sour to sweet all music and tears and saccharine salvation

my daddy’s mama holds a warm fire in her belly it licks at her teeth and sparks fly from her laughter her love smells like tomato leaves and fresh coffee is the color of turquoise and tastes like moonlight her love feels like firm hands in soft soil scoops into your chest and sows seeds along the edges of you

my mama might as well have wings with that light already glowing inside her and her soul airborne amongst the clouds her palms have novels inscribed along each line each one holy immortal and forever being written that woman holds the whole sky in her lungs spoon-feeds me the wind and pours me glasses of sunbeams

my daddy’s childhood tasted like cherry ice like bloodless brotherhood laced between crooked teeth carried that syrupy sweet love through the years

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until i was born with a tongue stained crimson grew gaps between my teeth big enough to fit friendships and laughter between learned to untuck and unfold my heart to match the size of his

my blood is as thick as fresh honey golden and glowing and sweet on the tongue

and even if you haven’t sat at my table since birth i will pull up a chair for you offer you a glass of cherry syrup and sunlight tuck turquoise in your starlight hair and ask you to stay awhile

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