When to Use a Claw Hammer 

 

 

Shame, that sharp point,

a seam that will nail

a child of any age

 

to the studs of a house,

to the fence of an abandoned lot

or a tree in an imaginary forest—

 

shame, as fundamental as water and stars, 

myths, infants and smiles,

that shame, my child, can leave you

 

alone to unnail yourself. 

 

 

 

Melva Sue Priddy