What old treachery crawled from the chasm 
to contaminate minds with its darkness 
to infest our school libraries with empty shelves
mash pages to pulp beneath its misguided feet? 

How have we let paranoia and fear 
dominate the narrative until they built 
a fortress of fragility and privilege 
to protect children who don’t need saving 

the magic of diversity and inclusion 
rattling against its brittle bricks 
like the chains of a lingering ghost?
                        

Women have evolved beyond bitter silence 
generations of lips pressed closed 
tongues heavy and bloated 
with a kaleidoscope of things unspoken
ready to release their ancient breath. 

Women have cultivated patience 
raising generations of daughters 
who found keys to pry open 
the locked jaws and loosen tongues 
to reveal the toughened skin 
of their mother’s open mouths 
words gritted in teeth like coarse sand.
                        

	after Jane Graverol

Your body was cold
when two men in cheap suits
asked to carry you away

stiff white sheet draped over
the peaks of your corpse already
unrecognizable as what I had loved.

They drove you to the funeral home
as weak winter sun lengthened
shadows across your empty bed.

Darkness deepened until it
filled the room and I retreated
into a golden cage

wrapped myself in what little
light remained, gave the blackness
space to ruffle its feathers.