usufruct

once i was
not my own
i was chattel
a bargaining chip
the price of land
or name
or dowry
a thing to ogle
or made to obey
but today
i am no usufruct
i am mine
i am no other's
though if some
in power
had their druthers
i would be reduced
to the usefulness
of my uterus
it could happen
i wish it were
not ludicrous
but if we are
not vigilant
it could in fact
come to this