Heirloom by TAK Erzinger

It sits a little tight on my wrist,

a golden band beneath emerald hills.

Perennial, green buds, the Muzo valley*

glistening in a tropical shower.

It was hers but it hung looser then,

like a handcuff, now it’s mine.

If I sold it or it was stolen

I might be able to forget her accent as

it escaped from an open door or

her dark skin, like café con leche, foreign.

She has kept her distance though,

the bracelet a yoke fastening us together.

Our blood not strong enough to keep us working.

Her burden heavy as if a stone,

if only I could skip it on the water,

letting it sink, disappearing out of sight.

*valley in Colombia where emeralds are mined.

___________

TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background.

Her poetry has been featured in Bien Acompañada from Cornell University,

The Muse from McMaster University and more. Her poetry collection

At the Foot of the Mountain is forthcoming by Floricanto Press, California USA.

She lives in Switzerland.