I Preside

I Preside
By: Loukia Borrell
North Coast Voices 2025
Poems of the Great Lakes
Main Street Rag

I Preside

I preside.
Over your dead bodies,
your death certificates, your
wills and caskets. I chose
the clothes you wore
when the coffins closed.
No one else. I did it all.

See how strong I am?
I have you at my fingertips,
and carry you throughout my
days, as you seep into my
lungs, across my thin shoulders,
and race through my veins.

I preside over your money,
your closets, your letters,
your photographs. I smell
your clothes, pick your figs,
drink from your glasses,
sit on your toilets, and quell
the rumors, the damage.

I preside.

Leaving my fingernails to grow,
just a bit to help me keep my grip
on your lives. I am your uneven
daughter who didn’t spill one drop.