He threw it from within the room we never used unless company came. The radio’s plastic scattered in the kitchen, my mother’s scalp split until it bled. My stepfather called me every name except my own. His backhand fed me silence. A gag of knuckles. When I tried to fight it wasn’t enough. I can’t remember if my brother hid. The neighbors must’ve heard, must’ve groaned, Not again. He stood over me & said, Why you stick up for her? She hasn’t even told you who your daddy really is. I was seven. The blood had set in my mother’s nightgown. She was trying to blot the stains. When I learned my name was not my name, I became nobody’s ghost. I grew inside out. I curled my lips between my teeth & bit down to not scream. He said, I’ll give you something to scream about––

中文翻译：

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我知道我的名字不是我的名字

他从我们从来没有使用过的房间里扔了它，除非有人来。收音机的塑料散落在厨房里，我妈妈的头皮裂开了，直到流血。除了我自己的名字外，我的继父都叫我名字。他的反手让我沉默。一口咬牙切齿。当我试图战斗时，这还不够。我不记得我哥哥有没有藏起来。邻居们一定已经听到了，一定是呻吟了，再也不会了。他站在我身边说，你为什么要支持她？她甚至没有告诉你你爸爸到底是谁。我七岁。我母亲的睡衣上沾满了血。她试图吸干污渍。当我知道我的名字不是我的名字时，我就成了无人问津的鬼魂。我从里到外长大。我把嘴唇夹在牙齿之间，咬紧牙关不叫出声。他说，我会给你一些让你尖叫的东西——