Prayers to a New God
By Billie Daddario
In the world we’ve created
Our every movement is a prayer.
Sent up to a high God
Asking,” pleases and thank yous”
We’ve done it all and, all at once
Made sacrifices that they could not imagine
And still they prefer us
under foot
underneath
on the bottom.
We have terrified them with our skill
Our magic
Our knowledge
And now they
Prefer us outside looking in.
They will use one of our own to betray us.
A new high God to chip away at us
Pieces at a time.
We who sacrificed our young to make her who she is
Will die at the base of her temple trying to be heard.
Dying with a coat hanger around our neck
we will bleed to death unnecessarily
In the alleys with no one to hold our hands
Like in the old days
Before we marched and won.