Bride Price

The coals you walked on

in places considered un-

civil gleam beneath

feet transformed they

gleam, new blades sharp you

are adept at conjuring shoes

for your bare feet & blood

pools easy along the obsidian

edge   you walk fast because of in

spite of    you are said to be laughing

until you cry you cry laughing

and wait for the water to reach

the earth soothe this fire you

are still learning the power

of the rheostat installed when you landed

without papers

once you had some    one    who

who kissedyoursoles    once    you

had   some    one who held your soles to

the fire in their foreheads, asking to be

blessed you once were that kind

of girl    war

bought a berth upon a lazaretto skimming

the surface of the sky

safety you learned

comes from concealing everything from

turning your own body to bread, your own

laughter into balm, in disguising your soul

red  bruises  purple  turn  calloused  you

watch them come, keeled over with want

ectothermic creatures, now hot now cold to help ease

your hot you’re cold and you watch like a witch

cursed and cursing, you don’t feel

the sliced beets carrying you now you

note how easily the knives perfect these useless things

you cut off at your knees to live