PERSON Poem: Things that make me think of my mother, by Devon Hoxer

Pink, glossy lipstick on the rim of
A plastic lid.
The jingle of jewelry
& the confident, steady
clicking of boots.
Sweaters with small
crystalline snowflakes
melting between the threads.

When I think of you, Mom,
I think of watching
Jaws
for the fifteenth time.
Your enthusiasm for
wild things
and tomatoes.
I think of the way you put
Everyone
At ease.

Aim to please.

& yet,
Another gift you have is
Being comfortable
By yourself. Making a home
for yourself
Inside of yourself.
& protecting it.

Today I recognize
That luxury:
To massage my own feet.
To re-pot the plant.
To notice my curiosity
in my own head
or in the trailhead marked
“Jump Off Canyon”
& following it.

You walk balance &
bravery like a Trapeze Swinger
trust falling,
flailing,
& suspended
between one life
and into another.
I think of that unknowing.
That sacrifice.

When I think of you, I think of
Coffee rings on newspaper,
Alanis Morisette on tape cassette,
& a room
At the center
of me.

I live there today.
Because you showed
Me how.