Blue Booties
for W.O’D.

Soft mittens hold your hands
cotton on milky skin
a tired yawn, then sleep again.

You have my cousin’s ears
your mother’s nose.

When you’re older we’ll plant
forget-me-nots
anywhere your fingers touch,
Remind you to follow the bees
to cornflowers and harvestbells
where you are free to grow.

You’ve all my love
your family’s too.

(CW: death, grief)

Alaskan Sky
for K.W.

Remember him
in Alaskan skies,
Where clouds streak
icy formations across the river
where he would fish.
The river he crossed
when he left you. 

I can’t see his greying body,
Weighing you down, or drowning
from you, your mother and sister.

But now it’s daylight without him,
Forced to find protection
in your family name
in frozen moments
filmed and framed.

Remember him
where the lake and camping trips
freeze over.