If I would

 

If I would sit down and write I could not tell you 
of the women that bracket my life, 
if I would sit down and write.

If I would sit down and write I could not tell you
Of my mother, 
unvanquished,
plagued,
haunted,
struggling for sanity,
if I would sit down and write.

If I would sit down and write I could not tell you
Of Eldest sister,
triumphant,
cancer at bay,
rebuilding her life,
if I would sit down and write.

If I would site down and write I could not tell you
Of Second sister,
isolated,
warrior-ette,
confident in her G-d,
if I would sit down and write.

If I would sit down and write I could not tell you
Of Eldest daughter,
emerging,
seeking,
singing her first song,
if I would sit down and write.

If I would sit down and write I could not tell you
Of Second daughter,
mommy,
golden,
fluttering her wings,
If I would sit down and write.

If I would sit down and write I could not tell you
Of the child of my child,
locked in her cage,
peering out,
awaiting her release,
if I would sit down and write.

If I would sit down and write I could not tell you 
of the women that bracket my life, 
if I would sit down and write.

 

© Shoshana Kleiman