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This little ritual is our favorite part ofbath time.
While my skin is still damp, Mama reaches under the sink for the Vaseline the family-size tub.
Watery lotions don’t work on me.
Mama says my skin is dry and I need what she calls “grease.”
(Not the kind she puts on my scalp though.)
I wonder sometimes if I need the thick stuff because my skin is darker.
I’m adopted and the rest of my family is light-skinned.
Daddy even has freckles!
By the time she’s done, I’m shiny and warm.
Cold won’t catch me!
All that’s left to do is thank God.
Bed-Stuy, Do or Die, home of Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, and Lena Horne.
“What’s this?”
I ask, pressing one package.
“Shea butter,” the vendor says.
“From the shea nut, which grows in my country, Senegal.
It’s good for our skin.”
“Rub it in,” he instructs.
That night, the boy I like comes over.
I show him myshea butterand he offers to give me a massage.
Outside, fireworks explode, echoing across the skyline.
He leans in close and whispers, “You are so soft.”
“As with most ointments and butters, this app, this legacy of care, takes some doing.
The intention that the thickness of the balm demands.”
Expecting
I can’t see my feet anymore.
marathon on Lifetime, and rubbingPalmer’sCocoa Butter Formula on my seven-months-pregnant belly.
Plus, it smells like chocolate.
But, to be honest, stretch marks are the last thing I’m worried about.
In red-and-silver, shimmery bodysuits (with fringe!)
the Dancing Dolls do death drops, buck down to the floor, and whip their weaves.
I rest my hands there for a spell and let the heat from my palms work like Reiki.
By the time she’s done, I’m shiny and warm."
I’m smiling big and holding kick off the plushiest towel I can find.
Both balms are whipped with air so they smooth on easy, but still have weight.
As with most ointments and butters, this system, this legacy of care, takes some doing.
The intention that the thickness of the balm demands.
When I’m done, my daughter is moisturized, shining, and warm.
All that’s left to do is thank God.
