my grandmother believes
in red blood flowers
each woman has at least one
many survive many do not
I had no idea what this meant
until now

I am here
lying down in bed
she tells me to hold
the emptiness
cradle it in my arms
create a soft space
in the crux of my arm
so it can lay its head
safe

she knew
all about opening
and falling
the brown spotted
blotted out buried
in cracked pavements
where scurrying feet stomp
on milkweeds
heedless
headless
in the heat wave
changing seasons bring
who thinks to look down
I never thought
until now

just because I don’t want it
doesn’t mean milkweeds
aren’t beautiful

remember
the red the blood
the flower

Sarah Sassoon is a writer and poet of Iraqi-Jewish descent. Her work has appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Lilith, The Ilanot Review, Consequence Forum and elsewhere. She is the recipient of the Andrea Moriah Poetry prize, and shortlisted for the Anna Davidson Rosenberg Poetry Award. Her chapbook, ‘This is Why We Don’t Look Back’ was recently awarded first place in Harbor Review’s Jewish Women's poetry prize. Her first children’s picture book, ‘Shoham’s Bangle’ is forthcoming with Kar-Ben Publishing November 2022.