Spring Cleaning by Hannah Flores

as I sweep the floors of this house

this body

you sweep things under the rugs

leaving the pages of our stories to fade into dust

turning our skins into doormats

you let all the houseplants wilt

depriving this house of the extra oxygen that it needs

you've cleaned out the bookshelves and the pantry

covered all of the furniture

because you didn't want me to know how to know

how to cook

how to live and not just survive

you did not want me to have heirlooms

you emptied this house

so it wouldn't feel like a home

my home

so it wouldn't feel inviting anymore

cleansing this house to the point where it seems

that it was always vacant

~

Hannah Flores is an award-winning 17-year-old spoken word poet from Toronto, Canada. She is an active member of her community and beyond in her advocacy for youth voice, education, and equity.