Some of us are
Bird Women

Frail, pale, and shaking
eyes red,
we hunch over –
ashamed

We retell our tales of abuse and rape
abuse and rape
abuse
abuse
abuse
until it feels like we are talking about someone else.

Just a bedtime story,
another time,
another place.

Bird women live trapped in arched cages of our own design.

Each bar carefully crafted with
barbwire intentions
Delicately woven together with our belief in their potential –
to be.

more loving

more kind

more human

 

“I gave up the sunlight just so he’d love me.”

 

Bird women are weak

until they’re not.

 

As our broken wings heal
and our clipped wings grow,
we burn.

To reclaim our wholeness,
bird women will burn down
bird women will burn away
bird women will burn-

 

a phoenix from the ashes

we rise

we soar

we forgive ourselves and learn from our cages.

 

Bird women – I love you.