With my hair unleashed,
strands fall to meet the crevices
of a sweaty neck.

See the black dye mirrored,
hands stained with disdain -
she watches.

A rendez-vous so scented,
slick with gazes squandered
loose after I wandered.

We begin at autumn; the rust gold leaves shrivel to ash, the air is more crisp, but nothing feels the same. A woman must endure the early darkness, and the stale stench of decaying landscapes.

The winter abruptly approaches, the air is drained from its once praised scent. Now we must inhale the thick frost. The beauty of shimmering snow blinds us from remembering the suffocated life buried underneath; she claws her way out through the ice, to be rekindled by the Sun’s warmth.

After these months of dreaded frigidity, the air begins to return with its earthly perfume. The snow has vanished, leaving the ground on the brink between life and death, but she chooses to grow amongst the leaves.

Summer brings in new, sensual heat; insects linger throughout the scorching air. The Garden of Eden replenished by her hands, the fruit of her labor often consumed before she can savor her work. But, we owe it to her, and we must worship her.

A man will try to make you feel
Like the *** between your thighs
Is the only thing you have to offer
And the only thing you should be ashamed of
But why should I be ashamed
Of what makes me a woman?
Yes, I bleed once a month
But it doesn't compare to the    
Flowers that have grown between my legs
Because I have given life
And life lives within me
Men insult this place
As if this was not their
Gateway to their first breath
They fail to realize that they
Are half-woman too

A warrior
Self tamed,
A goddess,
Self evaluated.

A soldier,
Self taught
A carer,
Self motivated.

A friend,
Self moved,
A leader,
Self less.

I don't want babies.

These are Victorian days

I reckon I'd die.

Get your bag for the day.
Fill it with the essentials:  
Wallet Keys Phone Mace Pens Pocket-knife Lotion ID card Whistle Tampons.
Head out.
Double check that the door is locked.
Triple check. (Are you really sure?)
Walk to the subway.
Look at the sky. The sun is shining. (It always is.)
Look behind you. (Double check.)
Stroll. (But not too slow.)
Get to the station.
Swipe your card.
Drop a dollar in the guitar case of a performer.
Smile.
Avoid eye contact with anyone else.
Don’t smile.
Grip your bag. Tight.
Get off the train.
Walk up the stairs.
Walk into the street.
Look at the sky. The sun is still shining. (It always is.)

become immovable,
a wall of unimaginable strength
too tall to see over and
too wide to walk around.
become undeniable;
do not mewl,
howl.
become so vast you cannot be looked past, shoulders so broad you cannot be held with one arm.
do not drown yourself in the tide of a man who would not **** on you if you were burning.
cultivate a culture of talking back. cornering. countering.
refusing and defying.
become unwavering.
become brave.
become angry.
become loud.
not because you are bitter but because you deserve the things you've been denied.
become immovable.

I am a smooth surface.
I am a number of hiding places.
I am meat, I am bone and
I am anything but my own.