Anointed
All the gifts you brought over the years:
bottle green pyjamas with white satin piping
a recipe for oats porridge with cinnamon and berries
the cornflower blue stoneware mug
a ceramic vase the colour of the ocean with lavender from the garden
a cream linen cloth embroidered with hoopoe and fish eagle, pelican and
toucan
All the gifts you left:
fancy shampoo in the guestroom bathroom
smelling like acceptance, like listening
virgin olive oil beside the stove
I pour a drop into my palm, dip my finger into the well
and draw an ancient whorl on my forehead –
a spiral of life – saying to myself
with your strong, clear voice:
I will stand in solidarity with you
Liesl Jobson makes art in Zeekoevlei on the Cape Flats where hippopotamus once roamed. Her writing is forthcoming in Pink Ochre, Silkworm Poetry, Quibble Lit, Literary Cocktail Magazine, Full House Literary, and brief+incorrect. She plays contrabassoon, teaches writing, coaches women’s rowing and is a community activist in Cape Town.
Website Links:
Instagram: @Liesl_Jobson