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3

hush

1

mommy, did you hear me? uncle

2

       he would never do that. what did you do?

3

nothing. i didn't do

4

       why is your dress torn?

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he ripped it. when he made me

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       hush. don't say that. you must have done

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i didn't do anything. he grabbed me and

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       i'll cook supper. you get changed and

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mommy, did you hear me? uncle made me

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       how about pizza? you like pizza. let's order a pizza and

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mommy, did you hear me? uncle made me touch his

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       hush. nothing happened. nothing happened so you should just

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hush?

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       hush.


2
15

hush.

Posted by angelabrownky on May 14, 2008
Tags: Uncategorized

« Previous: Dark Child Next: a poem of limited political moment »
Total comments on this page: 6

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Rob on paragraph -1:

Damn! Just damn!

This is wonderful. This is an incredibly powerful representation of not just a terrible incident, but also of the lingering, scarring results of being silenced. You make me jealous…

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May 14, 2008 8:53 am
Rob on paragraph 15:

Damn! Just damn!

This is wonderful. This is an incredibly powerful representation of not just a terrible incident, but also of the lingering, scarring results of being silenced by fear and oppression, as well as historical expectation.

You make me jealous…

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May 14, 2008 8:59 am
Sue Walker on whole page :

Wow, what a powerful poem this is. Love the incomplete sentences that indicate the extremely powerful way the child is severed from speaking.

What a great series of Mommy poems.
SBW

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May 14, 2008 12:10 pm
angelabrownky on whole page :

Thank you, Sue. They are all part of a larger collection that I am writing. A

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May 14, 2008 7:55 pm
Alexis on whole page :

this is so wonderful–the oppression is tangible…you are an amazing writer…

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May 15, 2008 9:39 pm
Vivian on paragraph 15:

This is chilling, Angela. The chopped sentences scream a secret, smothered by “mommy’s” frantic diversionary admonitions. Possibly the most powerful lines are the final three: her question — “hush?,” mommy’s reply –” hush.” and then her life sentence — “hush.”

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May 23, 2008 1:10 pm
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