06/08/2023
no one taught girls to shield our hearts from each other.
we could be frail and delicate ’neath a woman’s eyes. the universe made us to bare its beauty to the world. that was why, the moment our souls lapsed, i felt no unsureness and i had never been afraid to be vulnerable. i allowed you to see the looming fire within my ribcage. the embers inside my skull. the stars inside my cartilages. you never judged me by my circumstance. and with you, i had relearned to put my trust outside my own body. to make a stronghold rooted on the earth.
my mother whispered once, “no man could love you like a woman would.” unafraid and quiet, because a woman’s palm is clement and tender. it nurtures and it teaches you how to love yourself. perhaps, i could tell her now that she was right.
my dear, loving you has always felt beautiful.
that every woman in me is calm.
n. siyah
