Mother’s Youth
Her loss overlooked
as my birth split
her open. Passed not in life
but in spirit. Her dreams suckled
dry, leeched by the parasite nuzzled
against her bosom. While she wept
bloody joy, I cried shackles
around her ankles, her autonomy
exchanged for mine. Youth
snatched unexpectedly, taken without
a chance for goodbye. Nearing that equal
age, I mourn what I have
taken, lungs pierced
at the realization
she was once a girl, too.
Bella Jaramillo is a senior at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ, pursuing a dual B.A./M.F.A. in English Creative Writing. When they’re not busy crafting a new story, they can be found playing video games or crocheting small plushies. “Mother’s Youth” is their first publication.
The Albion Review 