pioneertown.

FILIAL PIETY

No crushed garlic
or stem of green
gristle is left on the slick
serving platter.
I chew my sister
on tumorous splinters
that churn
in our blood-ulcered
void.

Pea shoot tendrils
tango towards
the sunlight
of heaven. I watch
eldest brother’s
meat mouth
dance.

Only one cold cup
of congee remains
and the food set aside
for the servants. I sit
while knives spit
silence from our side
of the dining
room table.

Sonia Beauchamp is a healing artist on the North Shore of Oahu and the daughter of a Chinese immigrant. Read her recent work in Anomaly, Maudlin House, and WUSSY Mag. When she’s not writing, you might find her surrounded by feral chickens in the moonlight. Find out more at www.soniakb.com.

© 2020