Vocal Power

It trembles in my diaphragm.
The stretch and turn of muscle
guiding sound,
supporting air that carries music up.
Up to freedom.
Notes birthing,
tossing off abuse, rape, shame.
Casting off tribulations.
Gaining power.
Swimming roundness of sound.
Cs, and Es and Fs.
Trajectories of hope, survival.
Comfort, reverberating through uvula
and sinuses.
Breathing, planting, seeding along its path.
Flowering, wasteland to lush.
Stimulating heart beat
- from 
numb to life.
To –
whole again.

-Mari Maxwell

In 2018, Mari read at the Strokestown International Poetry Festival; and, Irish Writers Centre International Women’s Day 2018. Publications include: Irish Times, Bosom Pals [Doire Press], and Veils Halos & Shackles:International Poetry On The Oppression And Empowerment of Women [Kasva Press].