I saw a prickly pear cactus today
by Aisling Henihan
next to azaleas
pink ones
like the dress you wore
last spring when
you spent April hiding
in the garden
were you hiding from me
I looked for you
sister
scratched my hands
on thistles and thorns
mistook a bush
for a belle
never found you anyway
I didn’t know
cactus could grow
here where
air is so humid
I forget to breathe
flat green pads with big spines
pink fruit swollen and spiked
it reminded me of the time
we went to the desert
and walked the creek bed
sat with eyes closed
for hours I saw
a snake there
spooled in shade
waiting and after
as I shed skin
where it bubbled peeled
in sun I understood
exactly what we were
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