Every Creature Deserves This

February 5, 2024

By Rebecca Suzuki

The sun is slow to rise, and my mother says it’s because it’s cold and “the sun too, wants to stay warm under a blanket.” She personifies everything in this way—humanizes objects and creatures that share almost nothing with us. Says, “The spider did not know it was entering our home” before gently sweeping it up with a tissue and letting it free on our balcony. The sun is slow to rise, and when its upper crescent peaks over the NYC skyline and splashes the sky above in the oranges and purples and pinks and yellows, my mother claps her hands twice and prays.

 

Rebecca Suzuki is the author of When My Mother is Most Beautiful (Hanging Loose Press), a bilingual hybrid collection. You can find more information at rebeccasuzuki.com.

 

Image by franckreporter courtesy of Getty Images

6 Comments

  1. TJ

    This made me think of my own mother. Yours sounds so special. Really lovely.

    Reply
  2. Catherine Stratton

    Beautiful gem! Thank you.

    Reply
  3. Jillian

    I am reminded of a hymn that begins, “All things wise and wonderful, all creatures great and small.” Your mother’s “glass” is completely full. How delightful.

    You say so much in a few fresh words. I reread it many times. And each time I was moved anew. Thank you.

    Reply
  4. Jan Priddy

    Thank you for this… so beautifully presented on my screen by River Teeth.

    Reply
  5. Robyn

    Stunningly evocative. I want to cultivate your mother’s perspective.

    Reply
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