Yuhara – A Poem by Donny Winter

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.