My Mother’s Curse
Sacrifice, rage, and the daughter who heard every word.
Are you deaf?
I've been roaring your name
To fold these clothes
The sleeves are all wrong
To balance these checks
See how much money I spend on you?
To read the mail
I taught myself English listening to
Michael Jackson in the radio
Sesame Street in the TV
To scrub the toilet
If you can't eat off of it
it's not clean
enough
I've had enough
Damn you
The disrespect
Black and blue
I'll go to prison for this
But I don't care
Teeth clenched, fist balled
Broom raised, weaponised, striking
Wet shame underneath, the thick bleach
cracked skin
Scream aimed and fired
You're just like your father
I came to this country
nineteen years old
left my family for you to get
an education
You're wasting
my sacrifice
After what you've put me through
I hope you have
A daughter just like you