jon kortajarena

carlos in tom ford's film a single man

for your head

yusef komunyakaa

potions

the old woman made mint

candy for the children

who'd bolt through her front door,

sillhouettes of the great blue

heron. she sold ten-dollar potions

from a half-lit kitchen. chinese boxes

furnished with fliers & sinkers. sassafrass

& lizard tongues. they'd walk out

of the woods or drive in from cities

clutching lovesick dollar bills

at a side door that opened beside

a chinaberry tree. did their eyes

doubt under orion as voices

of the dead spoke? they carried

photos, locks of hair, nail clippings,

& the first three words of a wish.