A woman spraks
Moon marked and touched by sun
my magic is unwritten
but when the sea turns back
it will leave my shape behind.
I seek no favor
untouched by blood
unrelenting as the curse of love
permanent as my errors
or my pride
I do not mix
love with pity
nor hate with scorn
and if you would know me
look into the entrails of Uranus
where the restless oceans pound.
I do not dwell
within my birth nor my divinities
who am ageless and half-grown
and still seeking
my sisters
witches in Dahomey
wear me inside their coiled cloths
as our mother did
mourning.
I have been woman
for a long time
beware my smile
I am treacherous with old magic
and the noon’s new fury
with all your wide futures
promised
I am
woman
and not white.
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Submitted by abacon022491 on July 20, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 1 View
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AAXXXXXBXXCXCXX XXXDBEXXD AEXXCBXEAX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 715 |
Words | 143 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 15, 9, 10 |
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"A woman spraks" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/133133/a-woman-spraks>.
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