Mom's Candle by Alexander P. Garza

My mom buys those cylindrical candles

with images of either Jesus or Virgin Mary.

She lights them at night or day

And sends prayers into the world.

She calls upon higher powers

Or angels or spirits

To lift any curses, to heal wounds,

To fight off demons, and mend severed limbs.

Her dreams take flight

Sometimes into the heart of demonic spirits

And she screams silently in her sleep

And avoids bumping ghosts on the street.

She has that extra sense,

That many brujas have,

The one that listens to the dead,

The one still soaked in past.

Alexander P. Garza is a writer, actor, and educator from Houston, TX. His work can be seen in Amethyst Review, Magnolia Review, Ekphrastic Review, Penwood Review, and others. He has worked on and offstage at The Alley Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, Main Street Theater, and Mildred's Umbrella Theatre Company. Visit him on Instagram/Twitter, @alexanderpgarza, and on his website http://www.alexanderpgarza.com.