In this poem, Rob Arnold explores his complicated relationship with his birth mother, and his Chamoru heritage. 

The raw pearl my mother gave to me, that I gave to you.

I carry it sometimes in my dreams, its memory swelling like a blister.

Forged from the blood of the Pacific, little grain, little ache on the tongue.

Continue reading “Pearl”

Rob Arnold Rob Arnold is a Chamoru poet whose work has appeared in Ploughshares, Hyphen, GettysburgReview, Poetry Northwest, RED INK,Yes Poetry,  The Ocean State Review, Peripheries, and The Volta, among others. His poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and have received support from the Somerville Arts Council, the Jack Straw Cultural Center, and Artist Trust. He currently lives in Seattle, where he is the Interim Executive Director of Hugo House.