47

There is a long green vein
Meandering just beneath thin skin
On the outside
Of my right thigh

I study its twists and turns
Wondering will it grow weaker?
Will my legs bulge under stress,
Transforming into a topographical map?

I think of mom when I was ten,
She was out in the back
On the second floor I heard her voice
Asking me to call for help

Her mountainous veins had caught a nail
She asked for a bandage, not realizing
Her shoe had already filled with blood
She was hemorhagging

No one answered when I called
I panicked, with shaking hands
I brought her an old towel
My dog licked at the puddle of blood

We piled into the car, nervous, silent
With her leg resting in the passenger seat
She backed the car out of the driveway
We didn't say a word

We picked our sister up from school,
Then we drove to the hospital
Another mother from the school followed us there
She took us to her house and gave us cookies, she didn't say much

Mom rarely ever wore shorts after that
-KM

In the past the balance
has been thrown
like a horse in a western movie,
the kind that just won't quit,

It rained like
we were at the ocean and
following day it was breezy
and cool.

It will come back
and everything
that is important will find its
own place.

Let's get going.
Let's get gone. 
-Hannah