Cottonwood Creek is rising, it is rising again.
The dying sun burns a hole through the opal sky.
Heavy air smothers the copper earth;
dark furies churn the waters.
There is no time to wait for Mama’s return.
Half-dry laundry must be taken down from the line,
piled into a basket and placed on the highest shelf.
Your voice trumpets orders to the others.
Strip the beds! Stack the mattresses and covers on
top of the piano!
Gather the shoes and coats!
Load them on top of the bedclothes…
Collect some changes of clothing.
Be ready to move to higher ground
the minute Mama gets back.
But she must hurry.
In a few days when you return,
Robert will help Marcellus push the piano
onto the L-shaped stoop to dry.
You and Ethel will help Mama
wash down the walls and disinfect the floor.
The things that cannot be redeemed
will have to be discarded.
It will be weeks before the sun’s benevolence
dries out the farthest corners of your lives.
Nora Mendoza, a world-renowned artist, focuses on many subjects from large abstracts to women and the plight of the underprivileged in numerous mediums, and has exhibited her work internationally, gaining much recognition.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2025.