Personal care shift 9.30-10.30am

by Kelle Cunningham
(Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Personal care shift: 9.30-10.30am
by Kelle Cunningham

In
that hour I
met beauty not of yet of, this world
marigold skin folds, fresh
mouthfuls of flesh, but I held back

for
my spine, watched
her supplicating knees, heavy legs
tangle alone until
she fell into the watery

chair
her buck teeth
flowers---“we’ll get there”---a smile of
petals. Later she gave
me another posy—“this is

the
best shower
I’ve had in months”---her lovely lonely
mouth full of sun, a crack
in the concrete of the roster

A bunch of pollen reaching