I Have Doughnut in My Hair
by Hezekiah Allen Taylor

For Mom

my mother would make doughnuts from scratch
when I was little; I remember the smell, the deep, heavy breath
of just enough cooking oil to keep the pastry from sticking

at six, I had a stuffed zebra that I thought was made of oreos:
chocolate cookies combined with white sugar, a confection
that I loved too much to taste.

***

a strand of hair crams together all the universe:
DNA aligning sugar in just the right combination
She tells me it could be my downfall, one piece
left glued to the top of my "Catholic Jesus, ripped-open-
chest cavity, pulsing ruby" heart

Or, you could say simply, that I wear it so obviously,
so sweetly pinned to my sleeve

and everyone would know

Francine's Version -- Hezekiah's Version -- Inspiration
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