The one who set her son adrift
_____must have stood among the reeds
as long she could. The hand that throws
_____the stone recalls its weight.
A father’s body changes, too,
_____on a molecular level:
a small disturbance among fallen leaves,
_____a soft thud. A stream of light
at dawn, the bells ring and ring,
_____the world’s wheel turning toward
this, the 6th day of October:
_____the child sleeps beside our bed
and you make toast with red plum jam.