MARKED

Never write with pencil,

m’ija.

It is for those

who would

erase.

Make your mark proud

and open,

Brave,

beauty folded into

   its imperfection,

Like a piece of turquoise

marked.

Never write

with pencil,

m’ija.

Write with ink

or mud,

or berries grown in

gardens never owned,

or, sometimes,

   if necessary,

      blood.