The house grew quiet,
as a field grows winter.
The sycamore outside the window
leaned in close,
reaching with bare arms,
as a woman in a gray dress
leaned over the bed
to do her work.
The light rustle
of last leaves,
the rasp of a soapy rag,
moving back and forth
along an arm,
lifted, set down,
with what faith
in gentleness
could still be found.
Kelly Rowe received her MFA in English from the University of Iowa. Her chapbook, Flying South on the Back of a Dove, was published by the Texas Review Press in January, 2019. She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona and works part-time as a volunteer attorney on behalf of undocumented women.