Letter to Homewood’s Edge
I sat down,
Tried to pen it in the morning.
Fresh from the laundry room,
Hot in my turquoise robe —
I shimmered,
ready to chew her out.
This comes years later,
Not sure if I’ll send it.
This comes years later,
I’ve had it off my chest.
Am I still obligated?
Can I speak?
I promised I’d let it go,
But my spirit had my fingers moving fast.
Right in the middle,
yeah,
I quit.
Click the “X”.
Nah,
Don’t save it.
I need you to know about the wounds.
I need you to know.
Never said “please care”.
I know you don’t.
Trust me,
I know you don’t.
I’m Ronnie’s child,
and y’all never treated him right.
I need you to know that what’s unfinished is a crime.
You’ve had multiple incomes,
Multiple chances,
Endless bouts of time.
That’s something on your spirit, not mine.
As it stands, she still has nothing on the physical plane.
As it stands, time has changed the land
and her bloodline cannot find her.
She is forgotten.
Don’t care if you're watching.
Gon’ head, Google my name.
If Roni is an afterthought,
It’s cool,
Write-offs don’t mean a thing.
Do right by her, first.
Outside, looking in,
Found out the truth too late.
Outside, looking in,
Was robbed of what we could have been.
Our time was short and silent,
wrapped in delicate hugs.
She knew me, but I never got to know her.
Outside, lookin’ in —
She had to be tortured at the sight of me.
“It’s in the past, what can we do about it?”
Atone.
No pictures of us two.
Few memories of her voice.
Being told half the story,
Programs of sepia cardstock telling me the rest.
Decades of unknowns til’
R.B.H.K.W. filled my heart with truth.
Sit-down time is over.
Nobody’s callin’ me for tea.
I wasn’t good enough for honesty,
Yet my soul still flies free.
I’m thankful for the validation,
I’m grateful Marge created me.
I’m Veronica for a reason.
