my dog uses urine
like an empire would a flag
as if he says, “With this drop
I claim this land for the royal line
of Spaniel. No Labrador or Terrier
may henceforth enter.”
He cares not for the nests
of rabbits who found the ground
first, used it to spawn young life
and this reminds me
of all the firsts—
how us young girls
our names still marked by teen
would steal the virginities
of friends
our masculine counterparts
how we would use our anatomy
as a map claiming victory
stealing pistols off these men
as if collecting feathers
you see
we had been in the kingdom of men
so long
we needed something
to fight our war.
© Julie Bolitho. “in the kingdom,” Poem. The Vein. The Vein press: 2013, online edition found at: http://www.tapthevein.com.
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