august 1939 by isadora reisner
you donnt want me to love you but love you i will
i will do it because i cant help it i was raised by myself to do it this way
you are my little baby and i swaddle you in an old flag
you were born of a different mother but now i cradle you
you pull at my earrings and they jingle
it is deafening to me but no one else can hear it
the jingling and the pain in my lobes distracts me from what else im hearing and feeling
you want mamas pretty earrings yoou want to be like mama yooou wanna be all glitzy and big earred
i let you do this because i love you little baby and it keeps you close to my bosom
i wont let anyone hurt you except me, im gonna pierce your ears myself im gonna get you little
baby sized earrings and theyre gonna be gold
then ill train you to pinch your little ears when people look at you you gotta cover up the holes
made for the gold to enter your body and youre gonna keep those little earrings long enough to
pass on to your little baby
then youll remember what mama did for you, even when theyve taken all the rest, even when
theyve hidden all the gold in the worrlld away
This show explores contemporary motherhood in regards to possession, religion, domination, and cuteness.
A portion of sales goes to the Trust Women Foundation in Wichita, Kansas.