Poem #17: Sarah to Abraham, Years Later

I want to change my name.
It’s a burden being blessed,
And if I were Sarai,
I would be free.

Take it back.
Because the blessing
Holds a curse,
The kind that finds its way
Through leafy vines
And birth canals
And children’s eyes-
We are the remainder.
What is left of man
Stripping his skin off
And giving forth ribcage,
We are blessed bones
And camouflage smiles.

I want to be more
The dividend
To every divisor
And the nameless,
Shame-free someone
Who bit her lip
And smiled
Through the canopy of leafy green

I want to wear your shoes,
Not borrow them,
Not ask for them
Returning them-

Fine keep the shoes,
I’ll take your pants
And
Wear them.

Call me Sarai,
Because my lord is me,
He promised you
The world’s
Pulsating heart
In streaming bands, but

God’s covenant was made
Through circumcision
And I
Am my
Own
Woman.


***
Sincere apologies for a religious poem, even one that becomes so sacrilegious. This is based on the book of Genesis which I have recently read and at some points reread, and which I find completely ridiculous on many counts. I feel like the women in it need some empowerment hence... this.

New work, though! :)