I’m My Own Mother, Now by Stella Chipasula

Also Read

Mother, I am mothering you now;

Alone, I bear the burden of continuity.

Inside me, you are coiled

like a hard question without an answer.

On the far bank of the river

you sit silently, your mouth shut,

watching me struggle with this bundle

that grows like a giant seed, in me.

In your closed fist you hide

the riddles of the fruit or clay child

you told before you turned your back

and walked, fading, into the mist.

But, mother, I am mothering you now;

new generations pass through my blood,

and I bear you proudly on my back

where you are no longer a question.