The Earth in Seattle is Cursed with Hyperthymesia by Caitlin McKenzie

I have a genetic half sister

Whose face is obscured in my memory

Cloaked in the shadow of Mt. Saint Helens

I sang her Disney lullabies

To quiet our father's wrathful expression

In his rear view mirror

She smelled like warm milk and mildew

I have a chosen sister

Who moved a 30-minute train ride

From the city where I learned

That not all fathers love their daughters

That rain can sting your face if you run too quickly

She takes the ointment of a joyful life to the places

Where wet earth was once an open sore

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Caitlin McKenzie (she/they) is a queer neurodivergant poet and collage artist based out of Barrie, ON. Her work can be seen in publications such as Pink Plastic House Magazine, The Northern Appeal, Aurora Mag, and Acta Victoriana.