Limes
by Liz Ciampa

This drink saved me
when I was pregnant with you both
and towards the end
could eat almost nothing
could feel almost nothing
& definitely could not sleep a wink
but I could make this drink
lemon seltzer water
my fingers steeped in lime
its veins strewn all over me
sticking out from under my fingernails.
I would lick my fingers
pour the seltzer over them
and watch the fizz rise to the top
above the ice chunks.
My favorite part was upending the last cubes
into the Wonder Woman pint glass before me, laughing;
the small, crunchy ice pebbles
tinkling into the glass,
mixing with the lime sinews,
the seltzer water,
and the big pieces of ice.

That drink refreshed me
long before I took a sip
and when I did take a long drink
I would think:
Someday, you two girls will remember
your mother's fingers,
touching your faces, your arms,
& holding your bodies so close,
and my hands still smelling pleasantly, freshly,
of limes.


(Ciampa, Liz.  Good for Everyday Use.  Boston, MA: Big Table Publishing Co., 2012. Pp. 30-31. Print.)