Heirloom
Is the definition of shame my youthful indignation
at my mother telling me not to let my bra straps
or nipples or the outline of my underwear
or curve of my butt or my chubbiness
or stretch marks or slouched back
or pimples or hairy legs show?
Or is it simply my body?
Perhaps corporeal ignominy is why
mothers teach their daughters
to teach their daughters
to hide.
Anastasia Simms (she/her) is a poetry MFA student at Southern Illinois University where she teaches English and works in the Writing Center. Her work has previously been published in Luna Negra, a Lit Cleveland anthology, Military Experience and the Arts, Grassroots, Red Cedar Review, and Outrageous Fortune. When she is not working, she can be found cooking, singing, and watching movies with her dog.
The Marbled Sigh 