A Mother Resists Death
A Mother Resists Death
after Carrie Mae Weems, 2020
She was smiling, arms stretched wide, like Jesus1,
at the factory, surrounded by fabric and workers.
Life is beautiful, she said,
and I don’t have to die.
At the factory, surrounded by fabric and workers,
she disrobed in front of the camera, eyes to the roof.
I don’t have to die today, she said,
half laughing, to the interviewer.
In front of the camera, eyes raised, she shed.
What about tomorrow, the interviewer asked, Monday?
She laughed, turned to him,
Life will still be beautiful, but I’m talking bout today.
He said, what about next month? Next year?
The words hung like red ribbons in the space.
Life will forever be beautiful as long as I have today.
Her jacket, half off, caught around her elbows.
The words became a cardinal in the space.
She was smiling. Arms stretched wide,
her wingspan made long by her jacket.
Life is beautiful, she cried, and I refuse to die.
- A link to the image, “Mom at Work,” by Carrie Mae Weems ↩︎
A. Benét (she/her)
A. Benét is a poet, instructor, and MFA student at San Diego State University.