Palmistry – J. Khan

She traces lines,
then lifts her eyes to ask:
Who will you save?
 
What did she see
in my hands 
upturned to heaven?
 
Perhaps bats rising 
from my palms, swarms 
winging into night.
 
In the glare 
of my smartphone
I Google death 
 
stare at a picture 
of an infected Princess 
off the coast of Cali.
 
In the cradle of my hand:
maps of the earth,
red circles rising.
 
I walk to the sink,
scrub with soap, wash
until water runs clear.


Copyright 2020 J. Khan

Bio:

J. Khan lives and works in the Midwestern USA and has published over fifty poems.

Donation Appeal:

Throughout June and July, we will be presenting on this web site work by poets and artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will find these works relevant, comforting and inspiring as we all cope with the economic and health-related fallout.

As you view the work on this site each day, we would like to encourage you to donate to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Their mission “ is to feed our neighbors in need by providing dignified access to supplemental groceries. AFAC is seeing a record number of families due to the COVID-19 pandemic as families who never thought they would ever be in need are now showing up at our doors for much needed food.”  And, in keeping with our hunger-focused efforts, you may also want to visit the Poetry X Hunger website where poems by many poets are posted and are being used by anti-hunger organizations.”

Throughout June and July, we will be presenting on this web site work by poets and artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will find these works relevant, comforting and inspiring as we all cope with the economic and health-related fallout.

Please consider donating to AFAC. If you do, let us know which poet or artist inspired you so we can send you a personal thank you.

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