Whole

From the womb
of the blood of my blood and
the flesh of my flesh
and the love of my love
I am forsaken.

I am turned away and
Kept at an arms length,
A long sinewy arm filled with
regret and manipulation.

I grow ten feet tall
I acquire the knowledge of the world
And I am to be silenced and denied
because I fight to survive?

No, ma'am, I say as I cock the gun
In my hand to shoot away the claws
That have been dug into my skin
And my face
And my heart
And my chest.

I turn my mind away,
As you kill the child left in me
She is gone, and she no longer
Waits for your hand to lift her
and your eyes to praise her
and your love to heal her.

She is separate from this being,
And finally,
Under the stars of realization
And unaccustomed courage
She is one whole being.

Now, I am whole.