By Misti Velvet Rainwater
Date: 15 November 1999

Woman Stuff

this woman stuff is killing me
this being mature and working 
and paying the bills and taking
out the garbage and sweeping
and mopping the floors and wearing
make-up and dresses and perfume
that makes me sneeze
this remembering who to call
who to write and how to navigate
my spluttering truck through BFE
on a Friday night with a map 
that makes no sense
I am not handling my womanhood well at all
I'm not knowing what to do with my
heart I keep trying to stuff it all
inside and hold it down and tone it down
and keep it down 'cause I KNOW I'm too
loud and I care too much and I give too much
away and if I keep it up what will be left
and who will be...
it's not all your fault
I had been a woman for a few years
before I met you
you only added
to the fullness.