August 1939
by Isadora Reisner

you don’t want me to love you, but love you i will
i will do it because i cant help it i was raised by myself to do it this way
you are my little baby and i swaddle you in an old flag
you were born of a different mother but now i cradle you
you pull at my earrings and they jingle
it is deafening to me but no one else can hear it
the jingling and the pain in my lobes distracts me from what else i’m hearing and feeling
you want mamas pretty earrings you want to be like mama yooou wanna be all glitzy and big eared
i let you do this because i love you little baby and it keeps you close to my bosom
i wont let anyone hurt you except me, i’m gonna pierce your ears myself i’m gonna get you little baby sized earrings and they’re gonna be gold
then ill train you to pinch your little ears when people look at you you gotta cover up the holes i made for the gold to enter your body and you’re gonna keep those little earrings long enough to pass on to your little baby
then you’ll remember what mama did for you, even when they’ve taken all the rest, even when they’ve hidden all the gold in the worrrrrld away

This show explores contemporary motherhood in regards to possession, religion, domination, and cuteness. A portion of sales goes to the Trust Women Foundation in Wichita, Kansas.