for Aunt Lydia

for the heart disease
                 shepherd’s purse

for the cardiac arrest
                 a breath
                 a boot off a neck

for the syphilis
                 reparations

for the winter
                 pot liquor

for the cold
                 feed it

for the fever
                 starve

for the police
                 a heart

for the yeast, the bumps, the upset
                 apple cider vinegar

for the man
                 a miracle

for the woman
                 a prayer

for the longing
                 a balm
                 a corset
                 a song

for consumption
                 rattlesnake

for the mistake
                 nine drops of turpentine

for the empty womb
                 steam of salt

for the bleeding
                 a spider’s web

for a way to be free
                 the tamarind tree

Alafia Nicole Sessions
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