the poetry knook, the poetry of stephen m. james

Poems with the tag ‘embolden’

Never free, loved.

Never free
Not that I want to be.
Prenatal debt: Nurtured. Redeemed. Sustained.
Prevalent like ancestry, extending past death.
They hold me, scold me, embolden me:
Nothing I deserve–
Should be flung like pennies after a long day onto the dresser–or the floor.
But He keeps me, she keeps me, he keeps me, you keep me.



© 1993-2026 by Stephen M. James.