we were not lucky

to have been born to tend the lava.

we were not lucky to have been born in the land of heat and danger. across the river are perfume trees. across the plains are valleys of flowers and lakes that shine in the sun. but all these for others. all heat for us.

out of the lava grow the berry trees. the branches are to thin to climb, and too sharp to ignore. thorns everywhere. in our hands in our hair. and lava below. but J can get to the berries. he's the smallest. he comes back with bowl-fulls. J gets the berries, i turn them into the salve. we need the salve in the land of heat and danger.

sometimes at sunset when the eyes of the tenders of the land of the perfume trees are filled with sunlight, we approach from the west. we raid the trees. J shakes the branches. we collect the petals and fill our pockets. we flee back to the west, back to the lava. the souls of our feet are black.

even in the trees and on the platform father built, the lava heats us from below. through the cracks between boards our skin blisters. the metal slide gets hot in the sun and our thighs scream. i sell the berries for crab apples.

Dr. Alison Des Forges Candlelight Vigil, part 2

again again again about the cream. the heavy cream. it doesn't keep, so we don't keep it. which is why we don't have it.

your grandma lived through the great depression, so she would know if there was, but there isn't. like she said. like i said. three times. there's no substitute. and it doesn't keep. like i said. like your grandma said.

Dr. Alison Des Forges Candlelight Vigil, part 1

i don't think we can make this. we don't have any heavy cream. there is no substitute for heavy cream. we can't just do without it. trust me. it's like buttermilk, there's no substitute.

you can call your grandma if you want but i'm telling you, it's hopeless. did you hear that that human rights woman died in the plane crash last night, the one who was banned from rwanda? we will talk about her at our meeting on thursday. she was 66 according to the New York Times. she worked hard her whole life. she was on her way back home. jessica called, we're holding a vigil for her on tuesday when we all get back.

but anyway, about the frosting. we have to forget it. we'll just dust the top with confectioners sugar. that's what my mother does. i mean, you can call your grandma, but trust me, you can't replace heavy cream.