“GENDER” by Melva Sue Priddy

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Because my mother loved girly things—
lipstick, nail polish, nice dresses
and nylons—she often made secret
purchases and hid things in the back
of a closet. When confronted
she would say, Oh this? I’ve had it
for months. And truly she had.
As she had cooked three meals a day
for months, for years; as she had
milked the cows twice a day
for years, pregnant or no while he
plowed at night or drove
back and forth to work
in Louisville. Like she needed
an excuse to be feminine.

-Melva Sue Priddy

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