i know
i am beautiful
i feel it in my heart
express it through my art
and catch that self same
knowledge
when i gaze into my lover's
eyes

thus i have no need for
mirror's and their petty lies.

i know i am original
a masterpiece of anatomy
the placement of my
***** ******* and thighs
won't ever be the same
as yours,or hers, or his,
but i love the way i am made
and in that acceptance
of the makers mark
i feel that i am wise

thus i have no need for mirrors and their petty lies

i am original
i am beautiful
i am wise
i am a women
not prepare to
compromise
her love for self
by listening to lies.

and somewhere
in-between
forgiveness and
forgetting,
you took a part of
me by surprise.

And I could have never
imagined that I would be
falling in love with you tonight.

There's a pain in my heart,
So strong I can't ignore.
It keeps me up all night,
It keeps me up 'til four.

People know of my pain,
Know what I've lost.
But they don't know how I feel,
They can't see beneath the frost.

And while the whole world is happily dreaming,
I lay my head on my damp pillow and stare at the ceiling.

For when the moon comes to put us all to sleep,
I escape this nightmare;  I awake just to weep.

it's a little ironic
that there is something wrong with my heart
that I, this hopeless poet, has a defect
in her favorite topic, her favorite metaphor-
and that this, this, the source of her life, should fail her.

When it's time to tell the boy, the name
Of my pet elephant in the bedroom,
I know to expect one of two reactions.
His eyes could widen, with interest,
At the prospect of having stumbled
Upon America, a new world.
They only want to plant their flag.
But more likely he will grow quiet,
Not knowing what to say to fix me,
I didn't realize I was broken.
More likely my virginity is not a
Responsibility he signed up for.

He won't leave me right away,
But for all intensive purposes
He's no longer with me.
This kind of distance is not
Geography related.
Now holding hands is a chore,
For it's no longer foreplay.
What's the point of taking me to bed
When there's that much pressure.
He doesn't want to give me the wrong idea.
He love's me, too much to
Take that away from me.

I don't want it taken from me
I want to share the best parts
Of ourselves.  
I want to come together,
In every meaning of the phrase.
I won't let the oppression of
God in our bed, but I want
To utter his name in vain.

I decided a long time ago
That I'd wait for love, but
I never thought that love
Would make me wait this long.
Never thought I'd avoid first kisses
With the fear they'd be last kisses.
I never thought I could scare boys away,
But my virginity is no longer an elephant.
It has become this dragon,
That no one is brave enough to slay.

And so I sit, in my ivory tower
Of ****** frustration, and wait on love.
I'm waiting for a third type of reaction.