Shlagha Borah
DAUGHTERING
I stretch her skin to fit mine.
Hope breeds hope. If the opposite of hope is despair,
it breeds itself too.
she spent eleven grand on a giant moon-
stone. I called it what it was:
ugly. now I buy crystals from online thrift stores.
reliance on anyone but kin, is what I learned
from her. the mole on her chin is the colour
of my iris. beauty mark versus bastard.
when you simmer coffee beans, what is its
aftermath. incense persists. unlike carrots
cushioning with heat. I remember where she lost
her softness. Queen’s Mansion, Esplanade,
gustating the music teacher. let me ask again,
when you simmer coffee beans,
what is its aftermath. nothing
is what I yearn to be. the least touched key
on the keyboard. now we sprinkle black salt
over all our fruit – papaya, cantaloupe,
heir. and pray it doesn’t burn.