Go On

 Born woman. Go on. 
It's farther than it seems, 
but okay. 

Credit card's been stolen. 
Go on. 

Above all, remember, 
whenever you cry, 
husbands roll their eyes, 

and children worry. 

Go on. 

The father that was yours 
gets killed by a lung disease. 

He loved you, at least you think so. 
Go on. 

Drink, smoke, do drugs. 

Go on. 

Drag your crippled bones 
to work. Hate your boss 
behind her back. Smile 

to her face. Go on. 

Eat. Don't eat. Get fat. 
Get skinny. Go on. 

Time fragments. 
Space fractures. 
Lives intersect. 
Wombs bloom 

with new life. Go on. 
Wait. 

Hold on. 

Originally published by Dicey Brown, Winter 2006
Copyright © Lisa Zaran, 2006

Form: Free verse Comments

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Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace