I speak a poem about my childhood trauma and you don’t like the culpability
you say you have different opinions of my past
I say I think you mispronounced,
“this isn’t how I imagined my legacy”
mispronounced,
“I made you in my image
who are you to be a visionary
not just (my) vision?”
Mom,
I am not a free subscription.
Please
do not try me.
you didn’t like me quiet
but if I’m going to be loud
it can’t be about all the ways I was kept quiet?
you always said, “stop crying
or I’ll give you something to cry about,”
and you did
but even better
gave me something to write about.
if you wanted the story to be told differently you should have treated me differently.
the quote goes, “the ax forgets
but the tree remembers.”
and I felt that
me:
the tallest metal object in a field
you:
lightning
with amnesia.
You raised a carving.
I became living art.
You raised mockingbird.
I became Phoenix.
Watch me
rise.
& 