The rib never fit
And the apple had worms
Fig leaves are for fools shaming the
Triangle of life
Caves sheltered as long as you brought
Down your share, felled by points you
Chiseled by the hour, in between
Sewing skins and putting the baby
To your breast—
Migrations, snow, death
Seeds sown, crops harvested
You:
Learn to read, get the vote, work on the floor
With a glass ceiling
Are told you are unreliable, emotional, a false accuser
When your boss grabs your ass
You:
Want to go on the pill, and your doctor
Looks at your ringless left hand, then says no—
You:
Get an abortion to free yourself of a burden you
Cannot carry, given you by a man who
Lied, stole, cheated
You:
Live in a country where the ruling party
Wants to own your womb
It’s their right, they say, because
They know so much better than
You:
Will never:
Go back
Accept cruelty as fate
Apologize for the drive of your sex
Close your eyes
To their blindness
Photo Credit: Taymaz Valley Flickr via Compfight cc
Anne Leigh Parrish
Award-winning writer Anne Leigh Parrish’s next novel, an open door, will be published in October 2022 by Unsolicited Press. Recent titles from Unsolicited Press are the moon won’t be dared, a poetry collection, October 2021, and a winter night, a novel, released in March 2021. She is the author of seven other books. She has recently ventured into the art of photography and lives in the South Sound Region of Washington State. Find her online at her website, Twitter, Facebook, Medium, Instagram, Linked In, and Goodreads.
