Yuhara
Donny Winter
from Feats of Alchemy, Alien Buddha Press, 2021
Father smile, daughter pride:
their hidden losses exist as fossils deep inside
until their bodies heave up monsters
to fill each vacancy left behind.
Father smile, daughter pride:
sometimes they exhume unholy bones
from dust or reduce them into alchemic stews
to forge synthetic diamonds from stones.
Father smile, daughter pride:
sometimes to save the world they must soul-steal,
rob a grave because they’re told there’s no other way
but weave a weapon fueled in pain.
Father smile, daughter pride:
his grin deepens, hides an urge to cry
while her hands clutch the soul of her mother,
asleep in grass, while their monster storms outside.
