— a proffered collective noun
Birthed singly, in pairs or, rarely, sets
sometimes with a brother or, rarely, two
alone or in a bevy
sisters link
to one another and all of life
in ties of blood
that reach beyond the grave
in spite of hate
that stains our holy souls
in cries of pain
that soar to springs of song
in eyes of strength
that see beyond the day
through all the searing firestorms time
the resistance of our sisters has persisted
through anonymous
days nights years lifetimes
of suppression
through the isolation
of their blood
through the darkness
of their pain
through the deaths
of sisters brothers mothers
through the murder
of their children
through rape
of bodies minds souls
through the selling
of their strength
through abuses of the wars
of ever-angry men
through all their pride
of place replaced
through all the lives in fear
of death that drips
through veins like chemo
of strength renewed
through heart
the pain endured
they nonetheless persisted,
revenant trees
regrown beyond
the fire and the axe
to rise above
their ravaged bodies, born
to heights unreachable
by mere men
yet dreamt of
in the red tents of the mothers
dreamt of
in the blood-sweat of their labor
dreamt of
in the dust of chattel-fields
dreamt of
in angry urban kitchens
dreamt of
in the books that were not written
dreamt of
in forgotten ones that were
dreamt of
in the silent pride of weaving
plowing rooting hauling feeding caring
and loving
even in the face of pain
and loving
even as the village burned
and loving
even as the children died
and loving
even as they gave their lives
for people who still haven’t learned to love
as from the crimson sea within
she rose again
to make the family strong the children laugh
to set the world aright and make it one
she rose again
to feel the living skin beneath her touch
and sing her pleasured song for all to hear
she rose again
to touch her sister’s mind her brother’s tears
and sleep unknown to fear though knowing death
she rose again
to see the future solid as the truth
and find the source of love within us all
she rose again
to shine and be a light for all to see
to give forgive
and heal the wounded world
again she rose
to know to weep to reach to gain to shine
to sweat to bear to grow to judge to learn
again she rose
to sow to reap to sing to reign to find
to laugh to come to run to fly to burn
with life unto herself withal in full
to be again
the living earth we dream of in our hearts.