Cherry Blossoms by A.J.M Aldrian (Minnesota, 24)

            When I was raised, born of the earth
blood-soaked in toil and mirth
because Mother demanded blood for life
and from which I was raised
           blood of frozen white, that melts in the spring sun
           water, blood, for the life of me
           the death of me

​           Happy, fatal, sorrow-filled spring
Those freakish curling redwoods-
            spiking up from the earth
            bloody with rainwater dew
     
           Now my flowers flecks are stained
if the Gods bore me pure;
I would retain my whiteness
of spring-melted blood, feminine bed sheets soaked into  Mother Earth
           My Father the Sun
raised me unclean, and red strained
Flowering pink

     
          ​I bore my own children, my own fruit,
from which I watched their bloody veins break Mother Earth’s ground
and their branches curl up, rising too, big and strong and proud.
         Although their blossoms too, blood red,
         pink faded, left behind and beautiful
         by the sin they all forgot

Now they admire our pinkness,
         as a sign of spring beauty, as they have forgotten how to worship
         Mother Earth and Father Sun
         They’ve forgotten why
But they still walk our gardens, loving us in the springtime

Not knowing why
they admire us,
        what shame they would feel if they did

But Mother Earth demanded blood for birth
She was always beautiful and brutal
They’ve forgotten how to worship Her, us
       we are just remnants of the past Her
       and our cherry-colored blood,
       we left behind


A.J.M. Aldrian will be 24 on November 15th, 2023, she is a graduate of Hamline University, with a BFA in Creative Writing. She lives in and grew up in Twin Cities, Minnesota. She loves many genres including fiction; horror, sci-fi, literary, and fantasy, also poetry and non-fiction, historical, nature, and memoir. She collects books and loves spending time cuddled up reading with her partner and cat.