There are billions of women
wrapped around my spine
Old women
soon to be women
not yet born women
Each the mother
a mother
in her own way
Past
Present
Future
Medicine held back by
the mendacity
of man’s measure
of value
This is nobody's Shaking God.
This is souls wrapped
in sinew
Pain wrapped tightly
around deep love
This is Medicine held back by
the mendacity
of man’s measure
of value
Wrapped around a breath
of hope
hanging on for dear life
Life not held dearly
in their worlds
when they were
or want to be
I carry the weight of
their prayer
their potential
their prophecy
They are not separate from me.
They are.
Me.
They are.
You.
They are heavy, so heavy.
They are for whom I serve.
They are for whom I break free.
They are.
We.