I have been a thousand women
wearing one soft skin
a barefoot child with open hands,
letting all the light rush in.
I was wonder, I was laughter,
I was knees scraped on the ground,
chasing lizards in the afternoon
like magic could be found.
I was reckless, I was wild wind,
a teenage heart set free,
midnight roads and loud mistakes
that still belong to me.
I was fearless, I was searching,
I was burning just to feel,
every risk a whispered promise
I was daring to make real.
I was mother, I was anchor,
I was sleepless, I was strong,
holding life against my chest
when everything felt wrong.
I was breaking, I was silent,
I was bruises dressed as grace,
learning how to keep on breathing
in an unforgiving place.
I was drowning, I was numbing,
I was bottles, I was night,
trying hard to blur the edges,
trying not to fight.
I was ember, I was flicker,
I was hope I couldn’t name,
just a tiny voice inside me
whispering I’m not the same.
I am healing, I am mending,
I am stitches made of gold,
gathering the shattered pieces,
being brave enough to hold.
I am laughter, I am sunlight,
I am peace I had to grow,
I am every woman I’ve ever been,
and I will never let them go.