Her Name on the Deed

by The Night Voice

Original EveryPoem Studio house-voice poem.

My mother signs her name on the final line, then reads it once more. The house is small. The porch leans slightly. The second bedroom needs paint. Still, she stands in the empty kitchen and says our name aloud as if introducing us to the walls. That night we eat takeout on the floor, keys between the cartons, and every locked door opens from her hand.

66 words · 13 lines · Free Verse

African American motherhoodhomeownershipfamilyachievementimagery symbolismunderstatementfree-verse

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