As collard greens simmer,
over the high fire,
nervous laughter ensues.
Weary hands,
picking,
washing,
and arms numb from
carrying
heavy burdens.
Still gentle,
even though
this work
is never done.
At each corner
of the cherrywood,
seeds
are tightly
embedded.
Passed down through
generations,
this is where
the women gather.
Filling rivers over
empty wombs
and men deciding
they want to be elsewhere.
Over the potatoes
being peeled,
the shed of grief
is scattered like ashes.
Women know
what it’s like
to flee
and hide
and fight
and scream.
This beautiful work,
tending
to the family soil,
planting
watering,
and pruning
everyone’s hopes,
sacrificing their own.
—
Writer Bio:
Archuleta Chisholm is an author, poet, blogger, and host of the FearlessINK podcast. Her work has been featured in the Sun-Times, Military Brat Life, The National Library of Poetry, and various online publications, including Nia Magazine, Permission to Write, and Resolute Magazine. She’s been teaching and writing for over a decade and finds tremendous joy in being able to share her knowledge and experience with others.
Photo by RF_Studio on Pexels.
Read more work like this when you purchase Issue 2: Beauty in Brokenness of Resolute Magazine.