mother
to dream of floating,
to shun the sensuality of flight and falling
for the touch of naked air in a darkened room.
mother, you dreamed of a faceless child,
a toddling girl with pale yellow hair
and pale yellow skin stretching empty beneath,
her small hands patting up the side of the bed.
i am your absolution:
i, with my awkward smile
and my bones like yours;
shying from touch and gravity,
supine, with half-closed eyes,
my hands crossed on my chest like the dead.