← Poems That Move

I Find The Clean Shot And Take It

I take the broom

I take the mess

Swish, stroke and slide

Away, far far away

From here you go

I take the bleach to your throat

Drop by murderous drop

Wipe steady, wipe strong

Find the clean shot

Unblinking, I take it. I take you.

I strip the bed and the pillows

Strip the towel rod and take the carpets

Wash it off, every single all of it, off

You say genocide

I say not today

I take the mop, take the bucket

Reclaim my floors

Inch by inch sweep by sweep

Till it smells like pine

Till they’re my mother’s floors

Every nook, every corner

Every slab and every tile

Every blink and every breath

Mine, only mine

Never yours

“You say genocide. I say not today."