barrenness is a blessing                        “…….”

when autonomy outweighs                 hope

when the worth of women                   = womb = commodity = death

when expected to vessel                       the future of

despair with blood-slicked                    lips

torn at the seams                                    no time

to grieve                                                     a life interrupted

when pain is                                              a privilege

given to those                                          who do not fear

their survival                                             —i’m grateful

my tubes                       were                    ripped away

the day Roe v. Wade                               overturned

a century                                                    of progress

when my power                                       was stolen

I stripped theirs                                        to the marrow

when freedom                   =                     the absence of value

let us be                                                      valueless

let us sit                                                       in the silence

of emptiness                                              let us rewrite

the future                                                    of our bodies

one organ                                                   at a time

let us remember                                       how to breathe

through glass-torn                                   lungs

to feel past                                                  the numbness

each day                                                      asks for

dismantling                                                the

expectation                                                of living

in a world                                                    built to destroy

those who                                                   dare to defy

Author Bio: Audra Burwell is a dedicated writer, poet, and communications professional with a passion for creative expression and community engagement. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from California State University, Fresno, and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a specialization in poetry. Audra’s work has been featured in over thirty journals and magazines, including New Note Poetry, Palaver Journal, Flora Fiction, Deep Overstock, and Snapdragon Journal, among others. Her poetry has also been highlighted on the Do Fiction Podcast. A member of the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, Audra has contributed to the literary world through her leadership in workshops at the Young Writers Conference and her editorial roles with Spectrum Journal, The Normal School, and the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry.

Recollections: Of Being is a literary column brought to you by The Collegian, founded and organized by Aura Peredia. We publish writing and art, either political or personal, to create a bridge between varying valley voices.

For previous installments of Recollections: Of Being, click here.