Saturday, March 31, 2012

March 31, 2012...almost National Poetry Month!



Ah, the best intentions.
I had such plans to continue this blog after April last year.
But alas, I did not...but I have decided since National Poetry Month is nearly here THIS year, I will again, make a commitment to at LEAST post during the month of April.

This poem is a new one, written a few weeks ago to read at Sierra College's "Love Your Body" Week.


The Memory of Breasts

When my mother had her mastectomy
I was 300 miles away,
a first year college girl
who loved to touch her own breasts
until the nipples hardened
and my thighs quivered,
something my boyfriend had yet to master.

After the phone call with my father
his voice broken and lost,
I ripped a pillowcase into wide strips
and bound my breasts
flat, until they seemed to be gone,
strained sadness against my heart.

When I finally unwound the strips of linen
my breasts were still there,
and eventually I learned
to love them again.