When I Bleed
by Lisa Wooley

There is a pain that radiates out from inside

It starts in the pelvis and moves to the lower back

It travels down the sciatica and around towards the knees

I am sensitized

Every sound is intensified

Every word is internalized

Stress is dramatized

My energy’s unsynchronized

And out of tune like two sine waves

 Only another woman could understand

I’ve warned men of my existence

Some tribes have the knowledge to

Leave women space and distance

What we need just before the flow

Is a good massage to help let go

His loving hands helped us to grow

The way he loves me when I suffer

The way he loves me when I bleed.