Bring me the eyelash of a beautiful baby.
Sprinkle it with dewdrops from the petal of a spider lily.
Powder it with ashes from the remains of a love letter
sent from a foreign country
then dance in a circle
while reciting the names of your ancestors
in reverse alphabetical order.
Wait for thunder.
Just before the next dawn
get down on your hands and knees and
crawl into a cave.
Keep going until the light disappears.
You will see a sparkle
faint at first
then bursting into brilliance.
It will seem almost unbearable
but keep looking.
That is how you will find your brother.
Suzanne Kamata
Suzanne Kamata is an American living in Japan. She has published several novels including The Mermaids of Lake Michigan (Wyatt-Mackenzie Publishing, 2017), and several short stories incorporating Japanese folk and fairytales. Her first poetry chapbook, Waiting, was published by Kelsay Books (2022).
Artwork: Thomas Dodd, The Letter
Website: ThomasDodd.com
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