inherently sunk

natal trauma, to be doomed from your own mother's womb. i knew who she was before i got my first set of teeth, before my skull was formed i clenched my jaw owing to my fears. i crawled out too early, causing her pain just as the summer solstice set. all i am is afraid. let me out so i can let go. she's my greatest hope, but worries me that God put us too near. you're all of me, just so i can grow tall & wear your unfulfilled dreams as a disguise of some kind. speaking of, i'm 4 now & you're a liar & a fraud, masked up & all. you frighten me. you're all i'll ever be, cortisol peaks are mundanity, sitting still is prison, boiling remedy while the blood pumping in your veins is poison. you acknowledge i'm correct about your core, your roots, but you cannot even settle for a name to call me. piercing pain through the skin down the bones. you're no longer alone. now good luck raising a narrative doomed since it's first breath. put it on me, i'll teach you how to be a parent.

- Nara Kupenova, 2025