(for the Lucilles)
. . . is the name for God in the mouths and hearts of all children.
- The Crow
I. Progeny
Queen (of hearts & promises),
with Your wildcard womb & wanton ways,
Your mouth, like Eve’s,
forever pressed into the flesh of what’s forbidden,
(teeth marks perforating covenant).
Your desire is a stone
Even a crowning head can’t crack.
II. Genesis
Listen,
Time is a ring
wrapped around my finger,
Freedom, a jewel dangling
from my neck.
Afterbirth ejects individualism,
and “Mum” is both noun and verb.
Inside, a scale teeters with the weight of want;
wishes throb like stars in motherhood’s blue black night.
In my arms, you were a receiving blanket of giving,
around my ankle, a shackle –
10 tiny digits
squeeze.
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