On Stripping Bark from Myself
(For Jane, Who Said Trees Die From It)
by Alice Walker
Because women are expected to keep silent about
Their close escapes, I will not keep silent
And if I am destroyed (naked tree!) someone will please
Mark the spot where I fall and know I could not live
Silent in my own lies
Hearing their "how nice she is!"
Whose adoration of the retouched image
I so despise.
No. I am finished with living
For what my mother believes
For what my father and brother defend
For what my lover elevates
For what my sister, blushing, denies or rushes to embrace.
I find my own
Small person
A standing self
Against the world; an equality of wills
I finally understand.
Besides:
My struggle was always against
An inner darkness: I carry within myself
The only known keys
To my death -- to unlock life, or close it shut forever.
A woman who loves wood grains, the color yellow
And the sun, I am happy to fight
All outside murderers
As I see I must.
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