Tell Them
Conor Barnes
beloved I was wrong tell them you’re a communist beloved tell them you’re a coward I don’t need you to be brave or strong or good I thought about it I thought about it the words I said were wrong and the ideas I gave you were wrong tell them you’re Amish tell them you’re a woman tell them they can’t take you from me beloved I couldn’t sleep and husband just dreamed away while I begged every god beloved tell them they can’t have you darling tell them your body isn’t theirs darling darling darling tell them it’s mine
Conor Barnes is a Canadian writer living in Halifax. His fiction has been published in the Apple Valley Review, Literally Stories, the Metaworker, and elsewhere. His poetry has been published in Modern Haiku, Frogpond, and Puddles of Sky Press.