ANCESTRY Giselle Buchanan The women in my family know how to chop callalou and steam salt fish. Know how to deseed ackee and scoop an avocado clean from its skin. Their hands knead bread dough. Leave finger prints in soil. They turn cleaning toilets into prayer. Kneel and bow head while shoving elbow forward. They bite into figs. Roll loose the cherry flesh from its pit. Pour milk from coconut and boil it with the rice. The women in my family know how to call Gods name. Know how to ask for help when the children can’t hear. Know how to keep the lights on when a paycheck loses its hips. The women in my family know how to shake the men loose from their sofa cushions. How to change locks. How to love children that look just like their fathers. They know how to soak their feet in dead sea salts. How to fill the bottom of a Christmas tree. Know how to split the body in half. They know how to part scalp and grease it with lavender and tea tree. How to slice mango. How to brew sorrel.
A Thing Of Beauty Painted By Words
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