apology poem for American women by Lisa LaTourette

I’m hungry I’m tired I’m guilty I’m sorry

feed me
expensive haircuts, Brazilian bikini waxes
designer clothes, weekly facials, porcelain veneers
celebrity abs & asses to measure myself against
so I can find myself lacking

let me rest on
the dirty carpet, the Macy’s furniture
the electric stove, the baby’s car-seat
please just let put my head down
to the hum of the washer & dryer
my eyes are parched & polluted

let me get on my knees
for God, my husband, the governor
the police, the mailman
the electrician, the bill collectors & the IRS

let me apologize for
my mother’s mistakes, PMS, my emotional state
for being a slut, for being a prude
for leading you on, for turning you down
for trapping you
between my legs
with my words
with my uterus;

I’m sorry
for not being blond enough
for not being thin enough or
pretty enough & for not
having big enough breasts

I’m sorry I’m not perfect

& now I think I’ll try & be me
if someone will just tell me
who or what the fuck it is
I’m supposed to be.

END