MADONNA WITH CHILD

I undo the thick buttons
with a twist and a sigh.
The Lord is my savior.
Then something about want.

Everything is soft now
between us. The round
world in my hands,
the city’s crooked silence
melted into peace. Here.
Now. I am a shield
against all stones, all hardness.

I will feed the child.
I will put flowers
at the edge of everything.