Vaw Poem by Aida Santos

in a meeting:
I sit in a corner
puffing my deadly winstons
chest breathing unevenly


vaw, all caps
a synonym for memory


cull data from battered women
case histories of incest
train counselors
train the police
train the lawyers
train the men
train all of us
to listen
to the cries of bodies
pounded, legs torn apart
children’s moans
caught between the pillows
while fathers, brothers
uncles, kin respected
hover
unseen knives
between their thighs
my sisters speak
of violence against women -
“such and such said...”
“in a book I read...”
“women told me...”
“oh, what a terrible story...”
“the conference gave out papers...”
“i’ve spoken to one victim...”
“we’ve put up a support group...”
i sit, a shadow in a corner
puffing my deadly winstons
overwhelmed by theories


i, a living memory
mother of another
silently, I left