My Mother Prays Every Morning
My Mother Prays Every Morning
In morning, my mother will get off the bed
goes to clear her face, then slowly
she will go to the bookshelf in the studio
where her parents and husband look and smile
at her from frames. Before the photos, she put
pet toys, pig for her mother, monkey for her father,
and ram for her husband, auspicious zodiac animals
for each of them, each shows a peace and happiness
they had not enjoyed in their lifetime.
My mother will light incense
and pray, may you be happy now, and bless
your kids, grandchildren, and the world.
My mother still doesn’t know
what has hurt her in her life,
and how she has hurt back.
why the worlds - hers and the world
go in the shelter of a crystal sphere.
My mother prays every morning,
and the world is contained and calm,
with love, and crystallized tear and smile.
Yan Zhou, February 24, 2023
