Today, on the day of Mothers, I want to wrap my lens around fertility. The magic of it. The fear of it. The very idea that it makes one w(hole). The competitive aspect of it. The femininity of it. The masculinity of it. The body as public thorns that wrap themselves around women. Fertility, a weapon and a winner that chooses some bodies and not others. Taken for granted like clean water and fresh air when it’s not you who tried for something you did not receive. Today, on the day of Mothers, I want us to remember that fertility ain’t free. And it is also not deemed The prize by everyone either. It is often measured like Capital yet undermined legislatively at the same time. Maternity leaves are trapped in the crevices of manmade trees that only produce Strange fruit. And yet still, women smile and care and uplift one another, even when some want what the other one has, on both sides.
Crystal Belle, PhD
I am a Professor of Urban Education with a specialization in Literacy Studies, currently residing in Houston by way of New York. I write. I love. I mother. Poetry is my antidote. I used to blog here: http://crystalbellepoet.blogspot.com. This space is meant to explore the experiences of Black folk in academia, the voices of the students we teach, and various musings on life, liberty and the pursuit of freedom.
Leave a comment