She sits the infant on her lap
and wonders if he smells of God –
whether the powdery sweetness
is just sugar from her breastmilk
and the salty spots of water
on his crown are her own tears,
or whether there is something
other than her body’s traces:
His huge brown eyes. His density.
His destiny. His cry.
Sarah Law lives in London and is a tutor for the Open University and elsewhere. Her collection Thérèse: Poems came out this year with Paraclete Press. She edits the online journal Amethyst Review for new writing engaging with the sacred.