Turmeric Stains

a free verse poem

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Eyes on the exterior
of a dried-up peach. Thumb

pressed against bruises,
thinking they’ll go away

once cooked. The cutting
board is too porous and

leaves a trail of scars. White
rice simmers in a pot. Finger

cuticles colored from turmeric.
It took weeks to scrub

away the stains, months to
understand what was felt,

years to wash away
the trauma.