when the rookery of women
warriors all
each cupping one hand around
her remaining breast
daughters of dahomey
their name fierce on the planet
when they came to ask
who knows what you might have
to sacrifice poet amazon
there is no choice
then when they each
with one nipple lifted
beckoned to me
five generations removed
i rose
and ran to the telephone
to hear
cancer early detection no
mastectomy not yet
there was nothing to say
my sisters swooped in a circle dance
audre was with them and i
had already written this poem
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