Great Joy

---

Elephant skin 
Hang
        i
         n
          g in wrinkles
down her ass 

Skin red and raw 
   From lack of reach
      
Kneeling down
I swipe  gently 
moving elephant sized 
	skin folds

On this woman who
	 is my mother
	but not the mother I knew.

“I love you girls”
   spilling from her lips
     as salve is slid on 
	opened RED skin

Skin that sat in urine
	that soaked depends 
		that soaked the towel 
			that left urine suspended in the air

Because this woman who is my mother
	but not the mother I knew

could not lift herself
to walk the 12 feet 	T
to relieve herself

and I wondered
			would I become the woman who is a mother
				but not the mother they knew

Would I have elephant skin
Hang
        i
         n
          g in wrinkles
down my  ass?