the slow hiss
and sudden pop
of a pinecone in fire—
admitting the mistake
is a first step

*

had you lived
we’d almost be twins,
two sisters
so close in time
we nearly touched

*

this urge
to turn and walk away
     chokecherry

Mary Kendall (c) 2020

Kokako 32, 2020, a journal of the New Zealand Poetry Society
My thanks to the editors of Kokako for publishing all three poems.