My Mother as the Legs of a Mermaid (Or Varicose Veins)

There are volcanoes on my mother’s legs Years of exploration normalize them One ruptures She tries to outrun them like they did in Pompeii The volcano leaves a valley in her leg Like the remnants of a nuclear site Taking the flesh behind I see my mother in Colima as a little girl Aware that her father is beating her mother at home Her legs disappear into the water She floats among the fish Wishing she could swim to America Instead she stares at el Volcán de Fuego And wonders if it will eat her alive