Holy basil

incensing the kitchen

anointed hands tearing the leaves

sun and stars and moon and earth pulsing through the veins of each leaf

Bring the rocky cliffs of Skibereen and the long glances across the water and pondering of what it might be like to start anew

One of my earliest childhood memories involves playing hide-and-go-seek in a funeral parlor with my cousins. I remember hiding behind the Grandfather clock at the bottom of the stairs of Collins Funeral Home with my cousin while the sounds of chatter and people praying the rosary filled the air that distinctly smelled of lilies.