Devotion​

Issue 15

            —and so
every Tuesday morning
 
she rode the same quiet carriage
beyond the hollowed out
mountain range where dust
 
and dead leaves once fell
upon the West Wind’s daughter
to be by her mother’s side.
 
             A handful
of fresh cut flowers arranged

on the windowsill each time— 
the sweet fragrance they filled
the whole room with.
 
Slow attentive spoonfuls of
homemade purée. The gentle caress
of a sky blue linen napkin.
 
            ​—and in
the waning candlelight
 
of Mary’s room—in the hour of
her final breath—her daughter’s hands
tenderly kneading the arches
 
of her frail feet; a calm
familiar voice safely carrying her
to where she had to go.

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T. B. Vittini​ is a poet and librarian based in Sydney. His poetry has appeared in Portside Review, Jacaranda Journal, and Trash to Treasure Lit.

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