Generations

I want to live the life of a mermaid,
Joan of Arc in a petticoat, running
into the arms of the artist I've loved

since I was 16 years old,
his impressions on the glossy pages
of a coffee-table book.

I want to dance in the garden where my
great-grand daughter will become engaged,
her smile the same as her mother's, as her
grandmother's, as mine, as my own mother's.


I want to be stronger than the brow of

any man because in this world
we are asked to do so much for so little,
and our hearts swell like waves in a storm.


I want to be a woman, gazing in a looking
glass, perfect features glowing a dynasty
of woman who have come before.

and i want to be a woman climbing
the rocks up from our collective storm

to a rainbow lined peace of mind.