Shame

Call me Shame.

Female: born to bear children, born to bear pain.

Stone me, burn me, imprison me with your name.

The world is yours, boy-a-mother-made.

Call me Shame.

Mother: bore man in birth, life, and death; nearly all her days.

Mother’s sons learn early where to lay their fists and where to lay their blame.

“Whore” is only one of our names; heavy words for sons of mothers to say.

Call me Shame.

Woman: bleeds to breed to bear to birth; a life lived in blood stains.

Sons of mothers born self-righteous, rapacious, knowing they’re owed all things.

Mothers, daughters, motherlands; all exist only to slake man’s thirst to claim.

Call me…Awake.

Call me cruel and mean and broken and insane.

Call me Fucking Bitch as you shoot me in the fucking face.

Call me Baby, ask me why I make you cause me pain.

For every time a woman bit her tongue to keep the peace,

For every time a woman suffered silently, and for every unheard scream,

For every time a woman carried the marks of some man’s rage,

For those reasons, and for 62 million more…

Yes. Oh, yes, we will name names.