have you ever
stopped to notice
how much strength
your mother carries
in her womb
and in her eyes

or how girls can give
their hearts whole
without blinking

or how the women
in your life
have been torn apart
by the men they wake
up next to

I have seen bloodshed
and it is not on her skin-
it is when you turned her
inside out
and asked her why
she is still here

as if the sickness
as if the disease
as if the stone
in your body
can be erased
with her unconditional love