what I thought when my cousin said hello

Mary Kate is a willowy
brunette too lovely really
to be (or not to be) blood
but there is no hint of li-
(or)lac (thereof) in her

I sing of her now because
we are connected.

The heart of Tennessee is
as hers as mine as roads
explode from long west
to short east -- the day
i drove past i regret
the lack of tea
in her state of my mind

Her boys, her laugh,
her brothers too, i love
wildly since the first hint
of their sweet southern
breath -- born of northern son

I sing of her now
because we are apart

Mary Kate is a smile
trapped in the sweetness of
a young woman's body
poetry of notion -- distance
and family.

The songs of Memphis
wailing in her big (tiny) heart
(re)mind and soul(full)
Hail Hail Daughter of the South

Dogwood. Magnolia. Sassafras
Shade and sweet tea!
We are apart.
We are connected.