dear shame,
I see you
five-year old sun
spinning round and round
you, who look closest to the sun
round and radiant
until laughter punches you in the belly
a mom’s silence
as if laughter
punched her harder than you
dear shame,
little sister,
attention seeker
record thief
hider of merchandise under beds
returner of unseen borrowed goods
Itching powder rubbed onto backs of legs
heads held under chlorinated water
tickling until tickling became
Unconsciousness
A whack to the ass
dear shame
I want to
smoke
drink
binge
scroll
chat
you away
away
dear shame
you will no longer coax
fingers
to chip up the weed
twist the cork
flip up the laptop
pour another coffee
we will stay
and feel you
not feed you
we will
swim
dance
run
write
walk
you into motion
dear shame
we know your generational
wounds
Great Grandmothers’
babies dead on boats
and hospitals that could not protect them
new languages stuck in throats
priests who did things to boys
dear shame
lingering
hiding,
defending
denouncing
collapsing
blaming
vomiting
dear shame
now is the time
to do right by the ancestors,
apologize to the descendants
befriend
break cycles
heal lineages
punch one another
in bellies
no longer