By Kyla Pollard
by ChiTeen Lit Fest
On Home and Body
You do not blame the house for how it reacts to an intruder
For how an alarm goes off
And yet it is still unable to protect itself
You do not blame the house for how it is unable to speak
For how it can not say “Me Too”
After it has been robbed
You do not blame the house for the way it parades locked doors
And High fences
Do not blame the body for how it reacts to trauma
Blame the cause
Blame the intruder
For how an alarm can go off
And is still unable to be heard
Do not judge the body for loving the way it does
Closed arms
For the way it parades locked doors
And high fences
Look at the shots that have been Fired towards it
Look at the hands that have left prints on its valuables
Look at the battle wound that love left on it
Or how love made the body a home to invite lies into
Do not beat it up for how it chooses to heal
For the way it scars itself a closed wound
For the way it flinches back into a prayer
And shuts the door
