hand and hot

when the vinegar is poured, hand and hot,
the buttermilk curdles
and separates the cream.
it is the cheesecloth that catches and maintains,
the cheesecloth that suppresses.

she and she who opened her eyes, ruddy and blue,
and saw that it is light.

i am made witness and bearer of creation.
the hot vinegar curdles in her womb
and births to spoils
to the hand of the cloth.

open-palmed this cup collects the oil of her tears
and is nuanced by a name
of a woman.