Jamie Steckelberg
 

She
walks
away
from lovers,
just as her mother
left for unspoken and perhaps
spoken reasons of what it means to be a woman,
independent and bold, what it means to be a mother with shiners and diamonds, what
it means to be a daughter, what it means to be a sexual abuse victim, never
believed, what it means to be a lesbian, still not
believed. Nevertheless, she
persisted, despite
her mother –
she dreams
each
day.