PRESSURE

The doctor who excised
a mole on my father’s nose
said Just apply pressure.
Next day, back to the doctor
white towel dyed fresh red.

Apply pressure
—don’t let the good flow away—
as a rule for repair. Sometimes,
it may help. Would I
apply that rule when the juice
of a friendship leaks out?

Doesn’t the chrysalis
apply pressure to the body
of the emerging butterfly
strengthening its wings for flight?

Marie-Andrée Auclair’s poems have found homes in many print and online publications in Canada, USA, Ireland, UK, and Australia; to name a few: Bywords, Canada; Red River Review, US; Poetry Pacific, Canada; Structo, UK. In addition to writing, she enjoys hiking, photography, traveling and adding to her cooking repertoire after each trip. She lives in Canada.