“Mom,” by Namaka Auwae-Dekker
February 8, 2018
Mom,
Today I was followed by every man who’s ever left us (again)
Which is to say ghosts are hereditary
Which is to ask
who will my children carry in the echo of their ribcage?
How much of me is in what is not here,
How much of me is in what did not stay?
Namaka Auwae-Dekker is a 2017/18 Youth Poet Ambassador. She performed as part of SAL’s Sherman Alexie Loves Series event featuring Tommy Orange, Terese Mailhot, and Swil Kanim, hosted by Jess Walter on February 2, 2018 at Benaroya Hall. Read more about the Seattle Youth Poet Laureate Program here.