The Cycle

This walk is a dance

It says

We made it, kid

Free

Political refugees

Let me show you

Where you come from

A scar on my belly

Jagged lines on my breast

You almost killed me, you know?

I would’ve given anything

For you to be everything

I never get to be

I gave you my heart

Blood-red ink

Engraved on my chest

Crossed myself

Made a pact with God

To give my last breath

I covered your eyes

To blind you

From pretend

Cardboard

Cutouts

Posing as mothers

Burned baby dolls

Gave you birth control

Because my daughter

Is more than a single mother

In a world with no men

More than a welfare check

I told you the truth

About the boys’ locker room

They’ll all run from you now

Or run to you afraid

That’s powerful

We are not average women

Your memories

Will be different from mine

Open my closet

Take a look for yourself

The skeleton with the welts

And bloody legs

I’ve held onto it for years

My mother gave it to me

This one is from your father

It was all that he left

My father gave me one, too

I got rid of it though

Once I realized

They were both the same

Those things are years away

They’ve gone before us

Lost photo albums

Heart-shaped lockboxes

We’re something new

Unlocked silent lips

Tearless eyes and unscarred skin

You can dream now

I’ll watch over you

While you sleep