My daddy left us in a hurry
couldn’t wait to dance with angels.
Mama always used to say,
“Don’t you ever need no man, Honey.”

And I retained this thought,
further seeping into the crevices of my mind
with each reminder that trickled from her tongue.

“Don’t you ever need no man, Honey.”
I never did.
Always made sure to keep my space,
never let them too close to the barriers that guarded my heart.
Built my house of bricks-
neither huff nor puff could blow it down.

“Don’t you ever need no man, Honey.”
I never could.
Each time I willed one to slip through my welded gates
the bolts would twist further right
preventing the escape of my unborn love.

This way of life never did change for me,
but Mama was prematurely aged with tears,
fallen ill with the sickness of the heart.
She no longer spoke in the same melodious notes,
her eyes desperate for the return of her angel.

One day I told her,
“Don’t you ever need no man, Honey.”
She wished she never had.