they told me a woman with
bright orange hair came
to my country before it was
mine from a very different
place carrying her flour
board plus a man and nearly
seven children made
from buns and borscht
bursting with life that
years later raised me
strong and wild with
the same blood knowing
the warm yeasty stretch
of love between tea and
scrabble babies born and
pass the paska for
sunday faspa when we
played hard laughing
loud and risking blueberry
stains with wareneki
or rollkuchen watermelon
running down my face
in sticky summer
while her daughters nursed
theirs on full affection
saying chelle time will
tell so woman raise
it large and long
for you in turn feed the
bright orange fire of life