O is the Mother Letter

My baby is hungry. Grabs

me with both hands. I am

an apple, apparently no will. I give in

to his teeth and hate it. Him I love! I can’t say No and even when I do

I go back

On my word. It must be that consent is

Ancient.

                    Older even.

                                           A code written

In our body, a binary of unspoken NO’s / misspoken YES’s,

I guess it must have started with a

                        ( o )

Breast.

And mouths to feed: the need

to quench and satiate an Other at the great

Expense of self. Give comfort, forfeit

Feeling safe.

L. Haiman is a Romanian-born multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Margate, UK. L. Haiman’s work explores bilingualism, cultural identity, and intergenerational trauma across concrete poetry and prose. L. Haiman’s poetry writing has appeared in West Trade Review, The William and Mary Review, and Ink Sweat & Tears and was shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship.