Burdens

The womb not only swallows

but can also spit out 

whole burdens. 

My mother spit out six,

one of whom was reclaimed  

by the Earth.

I was the replacement, 

the thing made after

an unwanted swallowing. 

My sisters spit up 

too young, too many

they lent me

years of parenthood 

at an early age, taught 

me to raise two burdens

and this made me.

They hovered over me closely, 

made sure I wasn’t swallowing, 

they chewed me up, 

and spat me out 

again and again, 

a rebirth, a re-burdening:

a prophesy that I will spit

out like my sisters, 

and leave burdens

on doorsteps

also to be neglected.