A Cornered Gurl

An audio poem

I often wonder who I’d be if I’d given
this world offspring.
What I’d look like, sound like, move like,
pray like, and act like.

Where would I work? Where would I
lay my head or rest my bones? Where
would I place myself to be seen and heard?

Why would I exist? Would it have been
solely to produce doppelgängers of
me—to populate an already dying nation,
and an even more emaciated world?

Who would have given me the time
of day to create a whole breathing being
inside me?

If I had my way, it’d be him
or him… and it could have been him, but
it takes patience to deal with an overthinker,
an intensely organized, ritualistic person,
and someone who needs more space than they
do cuddles.

Not many people
have that kind of patience.

But if I’d given this world offspring,
one thing I know would be true,
they’d paint their hearts
with words to speak before they
open their mouths, and create
love using their ancestors’… tears.

They’d legacy me.
And I could die in peace.

*First published on Substack Notes

Scattered Words: Hardcover $26.00 USD|Scattered Words: eBook $11.00 USD|Scattered Words: Amazon