This is my body

There are two mirrors in my home
And too many days go by in a row
When I avoid them both

I am my own worst trigger
I am my very best cheerleader

Loving myself is acknowledging
There are times
I am not loving myself

There are times I stand in the glory
Of the kindness of my heart
The well of my art
Steady of my dedication
To justice and freedom for all
The curve and soft of my frame
Reach of my fingers

There are times I long for winter
To hide my body
Under colorful clothes

I wear layers to cover
The poke of my stomach
The dead of my fish
Spread of my thighs
Pollution in my air
Fluffy of my face
My hips
The starvation of my children
The discard of my elders

I'm black and I'm proud
I'm black and I'm proud
My country tis of thee
Sweet land of liberty

I shout my mantras
And cover myself
With all this fabric
Under all of this smog
With all these propositions
Blinged in all these
Stripes and stars

In hopes that you will be fooled
By my fancy poetry
My politics
Into loving me too

This is my body
Take. Eat.

This is my body
This is my mind to make up
My vote to cast
My right to choose

Don't stand in my way
With your magic wand words
To guilt me out of my grief
My doubt
My freedom to not be okay for the moment

This is my body
Hung
Stolen
Burned
Sold

My body that I have worked into frenzy
Fire
Spin
Worry
Over what you think

They keep taking my children
Killing my babies
My Trayvon
My Marco
My LaTasha
My Hadiya

Kimani Gray
Sixteen years old
Flatbush
Shot down by police

This is my body
I love my arms
And deport my Mexicans
Paint my toes
And cut off my homosexuals
I dye my hair
And rape my women
I work out my abs
And imprison my men

This is my body
This bread
This red

Do this in remembrance of me

I wish for all parts to be set free
My tongue
My organs
My spirit

But whoever said
We had all this time
And all these tomorrows

Sometimes I have to talk myself
Into loving the lies I make up

Like how much I love this skin
This ground
This round that holds me
Separates me from my brother
My sister
Auctioned me to pick cotton
Serve tea
Nurse babies
Build country

Who is that woman
There in my bathroom
With my face and hands

I am too many people
All in one day
I surmise loving me gets tricky
I can't keep up myself sometimes