She attempts to stand
upon uneven ground
atop a broken earth divide,
awkwardly balancing
between woman and child

Fissures of inheritance
the infectious bane
of her own existence,
formed beneath calloused soles
of sister, mother, grandmother

Charms contained within
the broken locket placed
delicate around her neck;
sacred curse of ancestry adorned,
yet blessed by envious men

Gaping hole expectations
inscribed in faint palm lines
anticipate a descent from innocence,
as brute, unforgiving hands voyage
forging reckless trespass

They emerge in procession
seeking temporary resolve
within the brimstone depths of
her fractured earth pedestal; built
by brother, father, grandfather

Instinctively she continues
heart blind and bound
planting seeds of trust, inside
the empty moral vessel
of a nutrient void society

Bedded upon a shroud
of ivory bridal linens,
virgin hope buried in white
between quivering legs; her
ever consuming crimson tide
an ossuary proclaimed by men

Sabrina Escorcio was born…