"Huai'an Dawn" by Tingyu Liu

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Huai'an dawn

I.

My mother as a girl: first 

to wake each winter morning,

she fills up the family’s tin basin, dutifully 

tilted to dull the stream’s cold, sharp 

ring. Slim hands submerged, she scrubs—

father’s work pants, brother’s school uniform, 

her breaths hovering,

                fingers burning stiff, puffed 

                and blistered till the pain 

                was almost like warmth.

My mother grown: 

fingers forever bulbous,

glossy pink 

skin stretched taut.

My mother’s grace concealed—

                all those ice mornings, 

                her duty brimming the basin’s edge, 

                her duty bound.

II.

My mother’s grace always 

evident:

                her daikon slices rice-paper-thin, 

                knife hand deft,

                minced garlic like gathered snowflakes

                her fingers flickering 

                across knitting needles, soft tickings 

                of warmth building, layered 

                patterns pouring out like song

                her fine embroidery creating

                adventures on my blankets—bearcubs

                at play, spotted fawn nearby and

                parakeets flitting against my clenched child fists. 

III.

My mother: me in her arms,

my face red, tantrums

at a world too large. 

And my mother sinking onto the sofa, onto 

                a crochet hook 

                gleaming.

My mother, mind on me, 

                slowly,

                gracefully 

                allowingthe hook to sink 

                into her leg—her sharp 

                exhale muted, 

                her strength, her grace 

                                hers to own.

Featured Art: "Babel" by Eugenie Deserio

Tingyu Liu was born in Huai'an, China, grew up in Miami, and currently works in Boston in biotech. She has been published in The Normal School, Four Way Review, Borderlands, Bodega, and elsewhere, as well as various scientific journals for her neuroscience research. She has degrees from Pomona College and MIT. You can find her website here.

"Babel" is a painting by Eugenie Diserio, an abstract artist from Stamford, CT whose work is widely exhibited and collected.

Her language is evocative marks, brushstrokes and personal calligraphy along with metallics and glitter that create reflective areas in the paintings. She hopes her work creates a pause for the viewer to recalibrate and reboot. She can be found at www.eugeniediserioart.com