– for Judi Reichart
This is how I see you
Through the steam, scented of garlic and ginger
Your form clouded in color
Mango, lime, orchid purple, onion red
Your bare feet slapping the kitchen floor
While your work-hard hands
Slice and stir and peel and pour
For all of us who draw near
Old ladies humpbacked with secrets
Young women hiding their battered faces
Spider monkeys, starving cats, and awestruck boys
To all of us who need you
You offer food, and a task, and time
Time to speak and to be heard
A glimpse of the good
At the heart
At the heart
Of the world
