Feminist Rage

the usefulness of anger

i tasted blood but i didn't care,

i bit down harder on my tongue,

i kept the fire between my teeth

so that i could burn these pages instead.

turning rage into ink and words,

breaking down the red until the

smoke cleared enough that i could see

no past this feeling, but through it.

anger is more useful in blotches of ink

and papers crumpled by sweaty hands

than as a hot breath that dissipates into

nothing more than negative energy.

for on its own, negative energy

can't be turned to change.

hot breath can be used to move mountains

but you need pens to dig the foundation

and break boulders built by centuries.

so i set these pages on fire

instead of the air around me;

i know the inferno will erupt

but i have waited

and i am ready.