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Poetry - Minding Menses

By Kristie Vullo

  

I’m not having a period.
There is no end, not even a pause,
my body thrives, abides by these laws
of nature as the sacred blood seeps from my core.
Feel the power of my tide
as it rests on cotton shore.
Respect it as you do the great one,
for it, too, is guided by the moon.
Honor the passing as it answers questions:
What is Life?
Is God really dead?
Why are we here?
Because our mothers bled!
Lightening bolts strike
pain nags at my womb
cramps my style, makes me queasy.
Who said creation is supposed to be easy?
Guilt-ridden, I reach for the rust colored panacea
and struggle not to curse my destiny.
I hear it anyway—
“Excuse her moodiness, she’s got the curse, you see.”
Please! Shut up for once and listen to me.

I am a woman.
My blood is beautiful.
Red and brilliant, it cultivates landscapes.
If I were part of a tribe,
I’d be writing this piece on our crop
every drop of my blood soaking into
our thirsty earth,
while grandmothers nod
lamenting the act of rebirth.

But I don’t hang with that medicine scene,
on the rag, we women are supposed to be mean.
Gotta fly that red flag and
cast me aside; I’m unclean.

So I lie prone on my heating pad
and thank the Great Mother for I’m silently glad
that this time I wasn’t in bed with a new lover
or wearing white (gasp) standing in front of my dad.
Hey, it’s my time of the month, what could be bad?
Then I’ll whisper to the masses
before I fall asleep
(and dream that I’m a faerie in a forest far and deep)

‘This is my blood
I shed it for you and for all
in hope that you will learn
it’s how the Goddess moves this tiny wheel
while her daughters help it turn.”

Kristie Vullo
About the author:
Kristie Vullo is a South Florida native and writes poetry, short story, and creative non-fiction that focus on women’s issues and spirituality. Currently, she is co-authoring a novel with her writing partner and long time friend.  She has been part of the feminist movement for sixteen years and has studied reiki and various religious paths during her physical existence on earth.  Believing that we are here to make a difference, she works at a vocational charter school that recovers young adults who have dropped out of high school and wish to obtain their GEDs and a better future. She lives in Boynton Beach, Florida with her husband, young daughter, and two cats





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