circumcision
we have broken a child's spirit
he looked at me
before we began
and knew me for who i am
hey he said to me
in his gentle smile of recognition
hey you are the same as me
you must be who i am
and then i held down his legs
as we cut off his foreskin
infinitely sore tender life of orgasm
we rejected his life
force
power
he could not fight us off
despite the fact
that he fought with all his might
he gave up the fight
his legs lay beneath the ten ton fire
of my hands
and stayed there
with all his might drained
even after i had let him up
i cannot believe
that it does not harm so tender a life
to have his spirit broken
at this tender time of his life
at my hands
who has ushered in his life
-Karen Hope Erlich
birth song
Originally published in The Truth Seeker, July/August 1989
Read more from parents who regret infant circumcision: DrMomma.org/2010/05/i-circumcised-my-son-healing-from.html
No comments:
Post a Comment