Poison me to find your antidote,
Poison me to find the parts of yourself
That you broke inside of me
When you taught me to heal by hurting.
Silk words slung by an executioner,
A throat roped with pearls,
Glistening like wet pimple,
Sharper than the blade that cut it,
Sharper than the men who slit my lips.
Into a Barbie doll’s smile.
Sink your fingers into my spine,
Let the soil grow flowers around your wrists,
Take a spoonful of sugar,
Take a thread and wrap it
Around my throat
Tie a bow and send me to dance
The same dance my mother learned
From the uncles
Who paid visits at night when their wives
Slept downstairs in the kitchen,
The same kitchen
That drums between our thighs,
The same stove
That hums between our sighs,
How do you uncook meat,
How do you put seasoning back inside the bottle,
This is a lesson, this is the lesson
We did not ask to learn.