Brialee Turner

She pulls me in and tells me,
“This letter was given to you
by a man who had never touched you
until you made an appointment
to see him.
You were scheduled to get
his perspective on your life.

Listen to me,
I carried your nucleic
acids in my core and
passed them to you,
and so I know you.

I know you so well
that I won’t attempt to
tell you who you are.
Instead I will give the gift
to find that purpose
on your own and I will
never use my mouth
to speak your words”.

Then, she spits out
the seeds of an apple,
rippling out from her
tongue to her hands.
She claws voraciously
upon the soil
to deposit them and then
waters the embryos with
her saliva.

She tells me,
“When you are awakened
and remember me speaking
to you,
this conversation,
come and find me in this tree
and then eat the fruit
so you can carry
our acidity
to your own orchard”.

I wonder what is inside of me…

Her eyes catch mine one
final time and she tells me
to speak my words
for myself.