Mother Love
by dael orlandersmith

Your belly
Swollen
Obtrusive
quivers like spastic jellyfish
The grease from your mouth is extracted
from 4-day old food
cooked and recooked which you offer to
me slurringly and
generously after your weekly intake of
scotch
And as you embrace your bottle,
I am to pamper you
to cuddle your bulk
which alternates between sloven women
stances and
baby poses sometimes w/a cradle voice
to match
In bed when you desire to hold me
close and
whisper wife/child confessions in
my ear w/ my small head
pinned to your breasts,
I know it is not my place to bathe you
in maternal/womb hugs
or
massage you w/ my masculine cologned hands
or to give you consent because
I am not your lover
My name is daughter
I am your child.