“Take off your clothes!”
It was strange,  
but we did,  
the whole room full  
of women and girls  
watched by male guards.
“Take off all jewelry!”
Bracelet and necklace  
were easy –  
off they came.
But earrings were a problem.
I’d kept loosing them,  
and still would.
They slipped  
from my pierced ears  
so mother had  
them soldiered closed.
“Now,” she said,  
“one pair  
will last your life,”  
and they almost did  
except for now.  
They must come off  
but couldn’t.
The simple, efficient,    
final solution?
Cut my ears!