She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods

"Kezia, my darling, please never forget

This world's got the substance of a frozen summer silhouette,"

Said my mother through lips that were cracked with love and toil

before she added, "The warmest of blankets is six feet of soil"

She had a perfume called Pride that smelled a lot more like Shame

When she walked into the room I was sleeping,

I heard her curse my father's name;

It was our situation, our position, our gender to blame

It was the lonely grey

Of my father's eyes staring back in the mirror's frame



"Mother, I'm shaking while I write because tonight I'll stay awake

And breathe away my fright

There's a letter waiting for me that I have yet to read

'Cause I know it's not from you

And you're the only one I need,

I'm tired and I'm cold and I want to go to bed

But there's no one here to tuck me in, so the shotgun will instead"