Palmistry
My mother was never superstitious
until she lost faith in her body—
with each new opaque mass,
her doctors uncovered
another dark star.
She started aligning furniture
with compass rose gardens,
invited stone guardians
to roar at hidden ghouls,
built doors she instructed
to greet the morning sun.
Her body she cleansed
until the insides burnt raw.
Nightly, she traced lines
in her palms like a prayer,
never doubting her palms
would betray her too.
~ Jenny Qi
BMS3
“Palmistry” first appeared in What’s Your Sign? in 2013.
