by Shay Freeman

We have the same blood, but I feel like I know nothing about you. We have the same blood, but you worry about the ones with different DNA. We have the same blood. We grew up together. You’ve seen my blood shed and used to bandage me up. We have the same blood because we both bled from what Mom did to us. We have the same blood, but we didnt have the same vote. You voted for a man who wants to deport my friends, who doesn’t share my blood, but I consider them my brothers. We have the same blood, but our opinions shed more than we do. You voted for a man who sees no use for me, or for what I like. You voted for a man who wants me to hide my truth and put down women who look like me, who think more like me, who are fighting for what I want. You cussed her out. You called her out. Her name. I felt like you called me out of mine.

We have the same blood, but you feel like a stranger.

This piece was published in our 2026 anthology, A Secret Chord: Poetry, Stories & Art, by Out of the Woods Press.