Women are taught,
to sit silent when angry,
to bite down hard,
on their tongues.

They are taught 
to erase themselves.
To become wisps of nothing,
easy to love, easy to leave.

Nursed on fear...
She taught me well, my mother.
I learned to please, 
to cook and clean,

I learned to bite down hard
on my misery.
I learned the consequences, 
never knowing the rules.

He taught me well, my father.
When he was angry, to appease.
He taught me men would love me,
if I simply agreed.

I learned to love 
with constricted abandon,
to fake a smile 
until it was real.

So now, I bite down hard 
on my anger.
I claw my flesh… 
instead of screaming.

(c) 2001 by (++)Laura(++). All Rights Reserved