“emptying out of my mother's belly
was my first act of disappearance
learning to shrink for a family
who likes their daughters invisible
was the second
the art of being empty
is simple
believe them when they say you are nothing
repeat it to yourself
like a with
I am nothing
I am nothing
I am nothing
so often
the only reason you know
you're still alive is from the
heaving of your chest”