I celebrate
myself, and sing about
myself, and dance around
myself
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me
as
good
belongs
to you and her and him
and the universe as a whole.

I lean into my soul,
I lean and grand plié deep into my soul without ease.
I push and perspire
so that I can
observe the way my
muscles point and flex and ache
with
lactic
acid.

I cherish the burn, for in my
heart
I am a
dancer.

I can
I am
I will
tombé pas de bourrée glissade pas de chat grand jeté
across the floor
across the earth
feet on fire
hot
as
my
heart.

I am a succession of tour jetés.
I am everything I wish to be.

I am the one who moves, spins, leaps
with every
bit of her
soul
life
purpose.

I am the one who makes you
believe
I am someone else
entirely.

I am the one who sunbathes
basks in the
glory
attention
of the spotlight,
hundreds of eyes
fixed on me.

I am a showcase,
and I am at home
when on display.

I am a live, breathing, body.

I am the one who gives her
heart
to
every
sad
soul
in hopes she can save a life or two.

I am the one who writes out
her heart
and wears it on the pages of her
journal
keeping it strictly off her
sleeve.

I am the one who
succeeds
excels
transcends
without even trying.

I am the one who carries
herself with
poise
confidence
independence
because I am my own person

and

I don’t need anyone else
telling me
how to live
how to think
how to act
how to breathe

in fact

I am the one who
scoffs
laughs
chuckles
at those who try to
hold
me
down.

My tongue, my teeth, my lips, my skin and
bones and ribs and ankles and elbows
and knees and shoulders and eyes and hair
and wrists
have formed from the stage.
I
burn
like
a
spotlight.

I am 300 plus degrees.

I was born from the red seats
houselights
stage lights
red blue green gels
black wood
pale wood
glow tape
flashlights

torn pages, dog-eared scripts
yellow highlighters
sheet music
stage moms
stage sisters
stage brothers
backstage crushes

air props
costume changes
5-second-10-people-helping-you quick-changes
pancaked base coats
rosy red blush
lipstick falling all over the white apron
mascara, liquid eyeliner

auditions
call-backs
opening night

jitters
jitters
jitters.

I was born, thrown into this
and I breathe in
soak in
every
single
second.

The stage is my home, the place where I can be
me
without
being
me.

The stage is my arena, the place where I can be
the
best
there
is.

Embodying characters, assuming personalities
effortlessly
naturally
calmly
like it’s nobody’s business.

Because this is
what I do
what I am
what I breathe
what I live for
what I succeed at
what I am best at
what I am most comfortable doing.

I was born to be here, born to live, born to show
all I have to offer
born to give
all I have to offer
born to be
more than I have to offer.

I am everything I choose to be.

I am the writer
in her bedroom
cross-legged on the
big, white, eight-drawer dresser
spewing words that imitate
what’s churning
in
her head
in
her heart
in
her soul.

I am the actor
actress
pretender.

I am the dancer
singer
performer.

I am the stage.
I am the 8th natural wonder of the world.

I am beautiful
with caramel legs
miles long that’ll melt your heart
with sharp, silky curves
jutting out in all the right places
bones under skin
converging to a slender
waist
sprouting baby hairs, golden
shimmering under the sun
framing a tiny naval.

I am striking
with tender, bony shoulders
lanky arms
sugary sweet, like melted brown sugar
long neck supporting a
baby
smooth
face.

I am radiant, effervescent.

I am al natural
long lashes
pink lips
rosy apples
trimmed brows
intense, dark red
wavy curls
tendrils
outlining
my expression.

I am wild
untamable
uncontrollable.

Who I am
is good enough
for me.

I am Kennedy,
and I give up
trying to be
anyone
else.