Crab Orchard Review Vol. 12, No. 2, our

26 ◆ Crab Orchard Review
Tamiko Beyer
faces—god of dead babies—gaze
at me with half-closed eyes. Patient,
impenetrable. I loosen from my parents’ grip, stare
back at their tattered red bibs and faded toy
offerings scattered at their feet like brittlelegged
flies. My fingers press down
on worn stone in wordless
prayer, begging for what
I can’t yet name—the right to hold
this sky, this day against my ear, to hear
my mother’s voice in the lengthening
of my bones, to keep the wonder of my skin whole.
Note: Shichi–Go–San (Seven–Five–Three) is a holiday celebrated by families
across Japan whose children are seven, five, and three years old.