"Winter Woods" by Vian Borchert
Noor Hindi | Dear A,
I also cry when I think of my mother. Broke/n
moonlight / mirrors / shame.
What did she ask for? Impossible
Love, love an end-
less pocket of daisies. Silly fear, silly life.
I am no longer vulnerable.
I am cradling your body your pain-
ed faced lips / cloned quiver.
I held my mothers’ ashes all her life, box
of steady hands, sunset regret.
Forgive me. I tried to build a woman
from absence, scarlet red.
Forgive me. I made it out. My brother
popped pills. My father
a map with no destination.
Forgive me. There’s a clump of my hair
on the floor, bright bulbs
I chew in slumber.
When you ask me what was sound like
growing up, I’ll say my tongue
was as red as all good tombs.
She, too, wanted to be a bird.
So ask why the pelican screams.
So ask why the plants are dead.
No one modeled joy; Our freedom
drenched in so much grief
I look at the birds. Their unsettled
laughter. Your quiet
in the evening light.
moonlight / mirrors / shame.
What did she ask for? Impossible
Love, love an end-
less pocket of daisies. Silly fear, silly life.
I am no longer vulnerable.
I am cradling your body your pain-
ed faced lips / cloned quiver.
I held my mothers’ ashes all her life, box
of steady hands, sunset regret.
Forgive me. I tried to build a woman
from absence, scarlet red.
Forgive me. I made it out. My brother
popped pills. My father
a map with no destination.
Forgive me. There’s a clump of my hair
on the floor, bright bulbs
I chew in slumber.
When you ask me what was sound like
growing up, I’ll say my tongue
was as red as all good tombs.
She, too, wanted to be a bird.
So ask why the pelican screams.
So ask why the plants are dead.
No one modeled joy; Our freedom
drenched in so much grief
I look at the birds. Their unsettled
laughter. Your quiet
in the evening light.
Noor Hindi (she/her/hers) is a Palestinian-American poet and reporter. Her debut collection of poems, Dear God. Dear Bones. Dear Yellow was published by Haymarket Books. She is currently editing a Palestinian global anglophone anthology with George Abraham (Haymarket Books, 2024). She is a 2021 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellow. Follow her on Twitter @MyNrhindi.
Vian Borchert is an established artist and poet exhibiting in the US & internationally. Vian is a Notable Alumni from Corcoran GW University. Borchert exhibits in museums and key galleries in major cities like NYC, DC, LA, London. Borchert's art is in embassies and collections worldwide, along with vast coverage in publications. Borchert is an art educator in the Washington DC area. Borchert's artwork can be acquired via "1stDibs" and "Artsy" marketplaces with auctions. Website: www.vianborchert.com
