Matriarch! Queen! - Erica Stenta Willis

I felt my thighs touch and wondered
Are you right? Am I worthless?
You were in my head like that
And I was in yours, trying to dictate
who I was as a woman, failures, shame
Look at how I never needed you
You dragged me down
Thank you for my child. I have enjoyed him for the past 26 years. And where have you been?
I know where. Repeating your sick game over again with someone new.
I hope they all lose you.
Losing you meant the smell of petunias
Caressing softness that never left my side
Music that saturates me through my roots
Soft stringy mozzarella
My face in the mirror. Mine.
Idaho potatoes
I was too good for you
You can’t watch me
Escaping infernos
Kissing the soil
Slippery dolphins frolicking
A manatee, a river, the sea
Nurturing babies
My hair tangling in the wind
Building my life
Sometimes saying goodbye

Originally published by Poetry Cove Magazine, 2023

Erica Stenta Willis is a Ventura County, California attorney representing injured workers in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. She is an emerging writer in multiple genres, currently working on her debut novel, with works published in Rundelania, The Poetry Cove, Reap Thrill, and Mind Matters Magazine, among others. Aside from working and writing, she is enjoying learning the Spanish language. IG: @ericawilliswriter