we're in their hands

for how

long has my life been

in the hands

of a woman.

starting

with a mother, then

onto aunts

and neighbors,

grandmothers.

and then, as life often

does,

it puts you on the road

to romance,

such that it is.

one upends

their life,

moving to be closer

to the one

who has your heart.

she takes

your hand and leads

to where you will live,

decides your

fate,

how you will

dress,

how you will make love.

the string

is long

with no end in sight.

they have you when born,

and at death,

they're standing close by.