my mother never cried
her eyes she emptied of their water
so she wouldn't drown

she was a poetess yesterday
and a beast the night I was born
there was no milk left on her *******
only vinegar and blood

she strikes me just to hear the sound
my mouth a shape she cannot recognize
her fingers are hooks
sunk in my cheeks, my thighs, my spine

her anger lodged in my throat
as I try her dresses and twirl in the room
to keep her burdensome corpse company
until the coroner comes
I'll tell them she's just taking a nap

I can't explain the rot, it's been there all her life