She was Born for a Reason / Toxic Lies
She was born for a reason
I have a small scar on my vulva
A small tear
Where my firstborn was rushing
and I was not waiting
Listening instead to her father
and my sister arguing in the corner
She was always fierce
Born with a head of dark hair
and a rosebud mouth
So petite the tiny outfits
I had ready for her were too big
As she grew more babies followed
Every few years another one came
In turn she would tell them
The stories and songs
I had sang to her
Be brave she would whisper
But always look out for
the quiet ones as well
And now there is a huge crack
A ginormous rift in the earth
A welt that exists between
London and Huddersfield
2 wait patiently on one side
As the other 2 play
and imagine the day
they will be reunited
It is more likely for the heavens
to open with rain of real cats
and dogs than for this crack to heal
And yet I believe
There will come a day,
before we are all old and grey
They can have more than
a supervised visit
More than a rushed telephone call
And on that day
The sun will shine brighter
And it will be a joyful day
There is always
sunshine after rain
There is always tomorrow
Every decade
new warriors are born
And they are given to us to fight for us
To remind us who we are
And what we deserve
Toxic Lies
When your first question
When you hear a man has been killed by the police is what was he doing
It tells me you are the same people
Who asked why was my husband so angry
That he beat me
So shall I make you uncomfortable
And ask you did I deserve it
Because I returned again and again
And your humanity is lost
And your vision is clouded
And you question should the poor of this rich island get food vouchers
Of £15
A week
And you question if the young mum pushing the pram has new trainers why is she asking for more
And you are getting lost
The men, women and children whose stories
Fill your feed and morning scrolling
Are neither someones son or brother
But criminals to be questioned
And the poor are misplanned conception
Step back
Dehumanising people
Will destroy
YOU
