daughter robbed of identity,

while mother rots within.

mother taught her to read and write,

to dance, to protest.

mother taught her to fight.

mother insisted

we sacrifice all for women’s rights.

no need for a man

or so-called love.

all you need is me.

do as I say

and no one bleeds.

but when daughter chose her own path,

she stepped into mother’s wrath.

the building of a genius,

all of it in vain.

mother killed daughter.

some mothers cannot love.

some mothers only birth pain.

-----------

This is my humble attempt to tell, in a poetic way, the tragic story of Hildegart Rodríguez Carballeira, a Spanish child prodigy and activist murdered by her own mother. (Inspired after watching The Red Virgin directed by Paula Ortiz)