the women

the women are growing out their hair for you
their nails for you
their legs for you
you like them all long

but they want to
cut
cut
cut

find nail clippings in the sink
to erase every dead part of us they touched

find hair clippings in the sink
to erase every dead part of us they touched

we do not remove our legs for you
we do not remove our legs for you

these living parts remind us
we could have always run
but didn’t.

We do not know why
and most times
the facts don’t make so much a difference
as the stories
and the stories
aren’t so much facts as they are tales

and we
are always so busy chasing our own

only want what looks familiar
only want what hurts familiar
who hurts familiar

trauma
is a breeding ground for
trauma is a breeding ground for
trauma
is a breeding ground

call it generational
call our children second chances
call our homes cleaned
but they are not

father
has a way of sweeping everything
under the rug
it is a man’s job
after all
to keep quiet

mother
keeps wiping the table
sees reflection but never recognizes self
never rids self of sponge
just absorbs and absorbs and absorbs
it is a woman’s job
after all
to keep quiet

sons
are given permission to mow the lawn
to cut
that which always grows back
to bag
to toss
but to never search for seed
it is a man’s job
after all
to just keep the landscape clean
only keep the landscape clean

daughter
begs to cut
but it is too dangerous
daughter
begs to see under the rug
but it is too dangerous
daughter is asked to wipe
to scrub clean
to call
to come home
it is a woman’s job
after all
to come home

early
with the sun
and before the sons
to pick up
and call back
to clean
and be clean

to grow her hair for you
her nails for you
her legs for you

yet she wants to
cut

but it is too dangerous.