date rape | Of maidens, mothers, and crones; a life in poetry, unfinished

i yearn to carve
silence
into subjugation,
stretch skin over bone
drum beat truth
from the dark,
name it
art

but these lips
they don’t speak
so they’ll
sing you a song,
full bodied
raw
’til i’m done

i buried
pain in the back yard
except the bits i flushed
with the goldfish
even now
hard to
admit

shame coils
serpents
at my feet
now i am
a snake charmer…
come shame,
dance me
poetry
hum me
worthy

shame sticks
to skin
stings the eyes
tar and chlorine
if i were feathered
i could fly
away