My Body Poetic

November 2, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Objectify my body –I am anti-poetic –this shore untameable I am fertile, yesa producer of life,subject to tidesand winds, shamedby man’s propensityto overpower. Let me not sufferthe consequences of inhumane laws. (Tuesdays, I borrow from Twitter @Vjknutson.Image my own)

The Cook

October 2, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

She’s in the kitchencleaning, preppingsweetness, wishes to nurture childlikelongings – sugar ladengifts, honeyed chops hooks her men withculinary preciseness –as legend prescribes wants a strong, reliabletype to stir her ovarieskeep her dishing up love Disappointment, like raw eggdrips off china plates –shame of misadventuresshe cannot scrub away only serves tea now –the smell of liquormingled […]

Who Am I, If Not Responsible?

September 11, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

This pedestal of responsibilityhas elevated me, out of reach,out of touch – lumps togetherchildren, mate, mother, sister… Caregiver extraordinairepresent overcrowded byobligations…am unwell,off topic, fed up, surely… I am other abled, have roomfor more – not martyr related –hesitant to plan, my purposefor being so intricately tuned to the needs of others, shouldquit while I’m ahead […]

Batter Up

September 9, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Intensity grips the bat-grit interwoven with anxiety Nothing less than a home runwins approval in this boy’s game The lone girl, I am aflamewith rage of inequality (Took a coveted bat and tight fist to get me here) Dig my feet in and stare downthe pitcher, ready to ignite the field. (Image my own)

Passionate

July 22, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I am woman questing… a warriorslashing bondsof painful past an aerialistbalancing strifewith fleeting bliss a she-reptileshedding distrustin vulnerability, growing I push throughthe tangled mazeof personas, seek a truth that frees my spiritand roots my essenceinto blessed being For I am womanwith a quest…striving on… (Art my own. I call her The Mother Tree)

Wayward Daughter

May 5, 2021.Reading time 3 minutes.

(Warning: this poem discusses the effects of sexual assault, and may be disturbing to some readers.) Back and forth I travel, searchingfor her – retrace every bend, curve,detour – back to the water, the sand,the beach where I lost her…haunted by velvet brown eyes – bedroom eyes,they told her, men with greedy loins,calculating – I […]

Dreaming Archetypal

April 7, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

She rises from the river –a culmination of my prayers and tears, I suppose Eyes glow with a ungodly hungerIs she predator or night prowlerI wonder, frozen from fright Disinterested in ego, ignoringperfection, she multipliesher energy frenetic I try to harness her,tame the primal, raw forcefear I cannot house her But she is no one’s […]

Woman

March 8, 2021.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Are we trapped by routinemundanity erasing edges? Request a shift, pray forenticement unveiling passion But we are earth rock steadyfoundation nurturing growth Teacher, Mother, Wiferhythm moulding futures. (Today is International Women’s Day. Every woman is a hero in her own way. Image my own.)

Who Speaks For The Silent?

March 3, 2021.Reading time 2 minutes.

Your voice, he said, it sounds…different… Project your voiceI learned in theatre,speak to the backkeep it strongdon’t falter I had to replay your message several times…. Hold that notedig deep –from the diaphragmsing from your belly Must be something wrong with the machine… Demonstrate convictionlet your tone convey passionstand tall, be confidentmotivate your audienceDad, the […]

Basement

January 22, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

Concrete is cold, imposingdoes nothing for aesthetics At least we’re protected,I tell the littles, ignoring Snot dripping, slimeoozing from unsealedwindowsills, cobwebsand bits of shedding pink It’s the best I can do:four walls and a roof. Except the ceilingis bulging, mold and rotcertain to rain down on us While upstairs, the manignores the leaks, luxuriatesin his […]