Line in a Book

Photo: (c) Jamie K. Reaser

“If a man knew what a woman never forgets,

he would love her differently.”

I’ve been reading books by candlelight.

One sentence has caused me to pause,

and to repeat throughout the night.

It has been following me during the day.

It’s there again when I strike the next match.

“If a man knew what a woman never forgets,

he would love her differently.”

I’m a woman who hasn’t forgotten.

Last night, as the chimes outside

my bedroom window danced and sang,

I asked:

“How’s a man to know,

if a woman never says?”

I’m a woman who hasn’t forgotten.

I’m a woman who hasn’t said

as much

as I remember.

And there it is:

The oath of silence that women took

when they stopped being birds.

I cried.

I want to be a bird again.

© 2013-2018/Jamie K. Reaser

From "Winter: Reflections by Snowlight"
Published by Hiraeth Press

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