I get my words from our father
I don’t mean the one above me
He’s in the backyard burning books
To show me that he loves me
I get my courage from our mother
We need no one to acquit us
I speak the language of her brother
A lot of good it ever did us
It’s fine with me
If we disagree
But let’s not misunderstand each other
Jane McBride (she/her) is a senior at Columbia University studying Creative Writing and Religion. Her work has appeared in Quarto Literary Magazine.