Family Branches

Two sisters in noon-
Day sun with chili chocolate
Radiant faces
Twelve-petaled flowers for skirts
Mosquitoes killed between thumbs.

Beaten out copper
Bracelets for banjo strings and
Damp sweetgrass for hair
Three came but two remain
One sister gone now singing.

Empty cordial flask
Cornmeal crackles in fire
Bare feet pressed to earth
Eating from sugar-dipped hands
Flavorful music vibrates.