S Janaki

codon / memory

AUG (begin) 

My mother used to wash my hair in the sink
like she was praying.
She’d hum a lullaby without words
like the indent of my skull was an offering.

CUA (shift) 

We sank down on the couch
at opposite ends,
her soles brushing mine.
She told me she was tired
in a way sleep wouldn’t fix.

185delAG (loss)

The day I found out, I had been angry
about something or other.
Then someone said that word
and the rest of the sentence didn’t matter.

UAG (stop)

Sometimes I picture a room
far in the future,
or maybe closer
I wonder who I’ll call first
if not my mother.

AUG (repeat) 

I watch her stand in the kitchen
like nothing ever happened.
I ask if she remembers
and wait too long
to start the sentence.

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S Janaki is a writer and college student based in the Midwest. She likes updating her Goodreads, long walks and the way Adrienne Lenker writes about futures that never happened.