full moon in Capricorn // penumbral lunar eclipse

tell me, how do you take the land back

what is the process of reclamation, and does it include reparations for the damage done 

congruent to the brutality of the attack

or the strength of the uprising 

or the length of time my lips were pinched with silence

what is the cost of healing

the value of the claim he erased so that I could be theirs

it would be crude to say they planted their flag 

it would be dishonest to assert my independence 

the invasion set off a battle within 

he roamed, with a bold unchecked lust

sucking the sugar cane dry 

they took everything he deemed valuable 

slick with rum, I torched the rest

I knew then that nothing would ever grow here

not in the same way 

and it’s not just what they stole but what lingers behind 

and the visitors grope with the same license as the invaders

and I fear self-determination means I have to own

a history so broken