The Bath<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The tub fills inch by inch,
\nas I kneel beside it, trail my fingers
\nin the bright braid of water.
\nMom perches on the toilet seat,
\nentranced by the ritual until
\nshe realizes the bath’s for her.
\nOh no, she says, drawing her
\nthree layers of shirts to her chest,
\ncrossing her arms and legs.
\nOh no, I couldn\u2019t, she repeats,
\nbrow furrowing, that look I now
\nrecognize like an approaching squall.
\nI abandon reason, the hygiene argument,
\npromise a Hershey’s bar, if she will just,
\nplease, take off her clothes. Oh no,
\nshe repeats, her voice rising.
\nMeanwhile, the water is cooling.
\nI strip off my clothes, step into it,
\nlet the warm water take me
\ncompletely, slipping down until
\nonly my face shines up, a moon mask.
\nMom stays with me, interested now
\nin this turn of events. I sit up.
\nWill you wash my back, Mom?
\nSo much gone, but let this
\nstill be there. She bends over
\nto dip the washcloth in the still
\nwarm water, squeezes it,
\nlets it dribble down my back,
\nleans over to rub the butter pat
\nof soap, swiping each armpit,
\nthen rinses off the suds with long
\npracticed strokes. I turn around
\nto thank her, catch her smiling,
\nlips pursed, humming,
\nstill a mother with a daughter
\nwhose back needs washing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Holly J. Hughes is the editor of the award-winning anthology, Beyond Forgetting: Poetry and Prose about Alzheimer\u2019s Disease<\/a>, <\/a>published by Kent State University Press and the author of Boxing the Compass,<\/a> published by Floating Bridge Press. Nominated for several Pushcart prizes, her poems and essays have appeared in many anthologies. The Pen and the Bell: Mindful Writing in a Busy World,<\/a> a collaboration with essayist Brenda Miller, is forthcoming from Skinner House Press. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University\u2019s MFA program, she has taught writing workshops at Fishtrap, North Cascades Institute, Edmonds Write on the Sound, Rainier Writers Workshop and Field\u2019s End, among others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Bath The tub fills inch by inch, as I kneel beside it, trail my fingers in the bright braid of water. Mom perches on the toilet seat, entranced by the ritual until she realizes the bath’s for her. … Continue reading