Sisters

 

Take my hand and squeeze real hard, sister.

This is how we share the cowardice of flesh:

When we grind, like a pepper mill, our mutual selves

Over this crushing of small bones beneath our skin.

Now rewind the movie, and press that start button one more time.

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And don’t let me miss a single shot, I want to remember:

How where holes appear, you tend and bind, and make us stand,

four life-size leaden dolls.

You count familiar feet while shoulders drop, then start that luring song

That makes us follow you deep into the night.

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I wonder about your endless homesickness, firstborn

As we walk through that mirror, so much harder than before.

We push down our legs, now heavy without a thought.

Yet I don’t want to stop; you promised to break me first.

Or else how will I know whose screams I am hearing?

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