Because only a woman could endure
such atrocities to her crust,
gutted inside out for the pleasure
of man and still be expected to
make him breakfast in the morning.
Only a woman could be told
her rotting flesh is a result of
her own flow and ebb, that her
salty waves are self-inflicted,
too sensitive, too soft, too
easy to get a rise out of.
But it isn’t her fault that her
body rejects your half-hearted
apologies, your paper straws dumped
in her stomach, a manufactured “forgive me”
while you pump her lungs with smoke.
She begged you to stop, sent you letters
of warning. Flames filled your cities,
winds ripped your homes from their
foundations. She fought so hard that
her skin cracked and she almost swallowed
you whole. And it still wasn’t enough.
Of course Nature is a Mother,
because only a woman could lose
the right to her own body and then
be condemned for giving birth
to the apocalypse.
Makayla Edwards is a creative nonfiction writer and occasional poet. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Creative Writing at Ball State University, where she also received her B.A. in English Studies. She is also an intern for the literary journal River Teeth where she helps manage social media and reads for their daughter magazine Beautiful Things (you should totally check them out). Makayla’s work has been featured in Ball State University’s Odyssey and The Digital Literature Review, as well as her childhood closet wall. In her free time, she enjoys half-finishing crosswords and shamelessly reading romance novels.
Header photograph and artwork by Jordan Keller-Wilson
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