Married off
to an old man
no love match
for me.
Sold away
to a distant place
far from my kinspeople
a housewife among strangers.
     The waves break
the current roars
the river flows on
to the sea.

A domestic, helpless
to resist the power
of the farm-owner
behind hay stacks and bed-curtains.
Or a slave
knowledgeable but known to few
a foreign face
a name that sticks in one´s throat.
But all cats are gray in the dark.
     The waves break
the current roars
the river flows on
to the sea.

Right from the start
the responsibility was yours
since however things went
you were left with the sin.
Unless of course
the fruit was torn from your womb
by God or men
the pain was the same.
     The waves break
the current roars
the river flows on
to the sea.

Eyes can not hide
a woman´s love
but closed eyes
give nothing away.
When appealed to,
dominating voices
fall still
flood innocence in shame.
     The waves break
the current roars
the river flows on
to the sea.

Through the murmur of the stream
I hear forgotten voices
for the stones are strings
and the water is memory´s harp.
I fill my palm and drink
and promise never to forget you.

Sleep soundly, dear sisters,
in the Drowning Pool.