Tuesday, September 13, 2022

THE QUEEN IS DEAD

by Debbie Peters


Destitute Dead Mother holding her sleeping Child in Winter, 1850 (Oil on Canvas), by Octave Tassaert


In a housecoat she slept
till breath came no more

        with no one beside her
        lest roaches and mice

her beauty obscured
by toilets she cleaned

        her wisdom unheard
        by those whom she served

my mother, your drudge—
Long live the Queen.


Debbie Peters lives in New York City and dedicates all her writing to her beloved Gerson Lesser. She encourages the world to open its eyes to the millions of queens who quietly die every day, everywhere.