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Dedicated to Yola Mascia Melchiorre, 1913-1995


A pianist, an artist, a linguist, a professor,
so many talents, like her younger brothers,
but she lacked the XY chromosome,
when few women worked outside of home,
few women envisioned another path,
few women stepped away.
Her father treated her differently,
replied to her differently,
“you don’t really want to”, 
his catch-all phrase,
repeated till she believed it, too,
believed she couldn't, shouldn't.
She pushed aside her ambitions,
molded herself into a new, narrow shape,
that of wife and mother,
she made those roles her whole life.

There was nothing left of the other woman,
unable to even imagine
what might have been.

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