Poetry by Linda Ferguson
(An Anthem for My Daughter)
No more rabbits twitching in the shadow of a shrub,
darting out for a breadcrumb or bit of carrot –
No more rows of princesses sneaking out
while their father pats the pocket of his silken robe
where the key to their room is kept –
Listen, our hair is not our hair
but a fire, a flag, a new mythology,
and our icons are the sequoias
that stretch and grow
for three millennia,
their power surging
as their skin thickens
with the intricate texture
of lace and bridges
and with internal rings that expand
like our ribs
when we take in oxygen –
It’s time we understood
we are made of teeth and bone –
No more pinched shoulders
and saw-toothed heartbeats,
no more petticoats to get caught
in carriage spokes –
Yes, we are beautiful when we’re angry,
but not in the way that was once supposed –
We’re beautiful in the way
firm-footed mountains are
and the flaming coats of tigers
and the efficient jaws of a bear
cracking open the trunk
of a hardwood tree
where her food lives –
Our breath is our breath,
our names, our names,
and the wind that rips
the shingles off our snug house
opens its lungs and sings of us –
We are not the jittering nerves
of tiny sugared cakes,
and we were never in need
of beauty sleep
or a wall of thorns
and we won’t stroke
the soft fur of a rabbit’s foot
to protect us from our “fate”:
Just watch us as we
kiss the world
awake.
Linda Ferguson has won awards for her poetry and lyrical nonfiction and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize for fiction. Her poetry chapbook, Baila Conmigo, was published by Dancing Girl Press. As a writing teacher, she has a passion for helping students find their voice and explore new territory. Plié – Poetry & Prose by Linda Ferguson