thank you for the top,
a spinning children's toy with yes
on one side and no
on the other,
to make up my mind
for me.
thank you, but i've
always had a mind of my own.
i'm wearing the canvas shoes
another girl left in the back
of your car
while the redcoats invade somalia
and my mouth, mining
my teeth,
ripping white picket fence posts
out of their sockets
leaving rubyred pits
filling their coffers.
i stand resolute,
turning my other cheek.
