Allium sativum

By Michele Mekel

Bulbs wrapped tightly in purplish paper

hang artfully from the kitchen windowpane

by once-green scapes.

Passing prettily as décor,

they are placed strategically

to deflect what is nesuferit

in my mother’s mother tongue.

The troublesome, the vexatious,

the decidedly evil

repelled by a pungent ward.

Such wickedness

—unbreathing, yet very much alive—

in memories and myths

steeping our bloodlines.

Michele Mekel living in Happy Valley, Michele Mekel wears many hats: educator, bioethicist, poetess, cat herder, witch, and woman. Mekel has more than 150 published poems, as well as a chapbook (Under a Quiet Moon). Her work has appeared in various academic and creative publications, including being featured on Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac and nominated for Best of the Net.