When I arrive home from hanging with Jamison
Etta James’s “Merry Christmas Baby”
is blaring from the speakers
while Mom and Mama Alice sway together
in the living room.
I watch unnoticed from the kitchen
taking in the picture-perfect sight:
the two of them
wrapped around one another
like graceful vines covered in roses
faces awash with soft light
from the Christmas tree.
This is what I’ll close my eyes and remember
when the adventure ahead
feels too vast and overwhelming.
This is what home is: my moms
together
music on the speaker
a cozy, sturdy love.
Eh-hem!I finally cough,
just as a slower song begins
and they start to
melt into each other’s faces.
Hey, baby girl,
Mom says with a relaxed smile,
kissing Mama Alice on the cheek
and pulling away.
Ah, Mara, just one more dance!
Junie—you’re messin’ up my game!
Mama Alice says, winking at me
