Rosemary

Katrina Kaye

It wasn’t
her perfume.

her kitchen,
a hazy dream,

She cooked with it
sometimes,

her scent,
a comfort,

picked it fresh from the
backyard where

an embrace,
soft needles folded

a giant bushel grew
beside other tiny

easily against skin,
the drizzle of rain,

emerging plants,
sage, basil, thyme.

the essence triggers
a reminder of her face,

On occasion,
after a sweet rain,

a misshaped smile
long after her absence.

the backyard would
fill with the sweet smell.

“Rosemary” was previously published in Rabbits for Luck (2016).

Katrina Kaye

There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember.

remember me

when you least
expect it

in the scent
of rosemary

and
the red of eyelids
closed
to the sun

and I will
remember you

scrawled
in cursive on
forearm

in the
tender spot
where the sun
never reaches

isn’t that
what we all
want?

the best parts
of us
to stay alive

in the hearts of
those we love

our words
remembered

hummed like
lullaby

tasted like
salvation

“Rosemary” is previously published in The Green Shoe Sanctuary (2022).

Chasing Rabbits