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Aunt by Charlotte Michaelis

Aunt
by Charlotte Michaelis from Harriet Tubman (Jefferson High School)
Published in the 2007-2008 WITS Anthology I Once Was Young and Strong (Available for purchase)

My aunt
Only relative close to me
Going to her house was asking for
A broken heart and a shiny new purple bruise
Overly teased hair, dyed a florescent red
Always smelled like her nasty Kools Light cigarettes
Second-hand clothes never fit right
Too tight or too big
An angry, jealous person
Showing up late from school
Was torture
Accusations and tears
I would never ever bring people
To my house
To crack house
The crazy lady
Beating up people for no reason
She didn’t now
The world didn’t know
She was a treasure

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