Keshia Mcclantoc
nature vs. nurture
it’s easy to worship
chained to a whipping post
waiting for eager spectators
mother laid the foundation
built on bricks of disdain
layers of asphalt and neglect
then came the man
slipping fingers under childhood skirts
pouring concrete for the post
wood stained with words,
touch starvation, and
intersections of vulnerability and rage
and a boy who made the chains
bound them tight with
bruises and hard grips
skin breaking to cheering
celebration of fresh blood
someone always ready to step up
day in and day out
i practice in my temple
chanting till red drips down my spine
fear keeps me going
drives each whip’s crack a little harder
too loud to ask
who brought me to my whipping post?
Keshia Mcclantoc is originally from Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Her work has previously appeared in The Tower Literary Journal. She currently studies English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she is pursuing a degree in Composition and Rhetoric. In her free time, she likes writing short fiction and poetry, starting queer feminist discussions, and having deep, emotional conversations with her cat.
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