"one year and two days" by S.M. Brown

S.M. Brown is a poet and educator in Oklahoma. With a heart full of passion and a pen dipped in ink, she weaves verses that aim to touch souls. Guiding others on their creative journey, her poetry embraces the beauty of language, evoking emotion, and provoking thought. Through words, S.M. Brown inspires connection and understanding.

one year and two days

since they

stole

my body

a year of

fear

whispers

and blood

girls and women

dropping like flies:

the cost of living

Under God

someone i know

was forced to

give birth

to a baby

that died

in her body

she had to

push and scream and shit

only to hear the kind of

silence that swallows time whole

she can't forget

she can never forget

men in suits tell her

from their pulpits and podiums

it was God's Will

thousands of women let out similar cries

and those men turn their backs

and smile

their will is done