This Body

I remember so well

when the world decided

that my flesh was no longer my own.

 

This skin and this spine

ceased to be mine,

all in favour of men ungrown. 

 

As I stumbled and fumbled

my way through a time

that should have felt free and unknown, 

 

I made light

of what I knew in my bones wasn’t right,

swallowing stories alone.

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As if you would know what to do 

with this body you have no right to.

Do you know who

this body belongs to?

I should intimidate the likes of you.

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Pushing, performing

and powering through,

using humour to manoeuvre and mend;

 

twisting tales

to appease and derail,

learning it’s best to pretend;

 

Being less to impress,

meaning no, saying yes,

treating truth as though it couldn’t contend,

 

I found lies in the eyes

of so many lives,

promising love to lend.

 

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As if you would know what to do 

with this body you have no right to.

Do you know who

this body belongs to?

I should intimidate the likes of you.

 

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Through talk and touch

and discovering how

to build boundaries through bitten lips,

 

I found solace

in wisdom of women,

who held me dear to their hips.  

 

Now I stand staring back

at your apparent lack

of awareness in treasured scripts.

 

I feel for you

as you learn something new, 

while this body performs an eclipse.  

 

   

As if you would know what to do 

with this body you have no right to.

Do you know who

this body belongs to?

I should intimidate the likes of you.

 

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This body

knows how to 

intimidate the likes of you.

​

This body

knows how to 

intimidate the likes of you.

​

This body

knows how to 

intimidate the likes of you.

​

This body

knows how to 

intimidate the likes of you.

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