i am a woman, a woman, a woman

i am a woman born and raised

from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet

from the inside flesh to the outer

my shell and my innards are woman to the bone

my mother my sister my aunts and my closest friends are women too

our shells are cracked and bruised 

(not all are gentle with our casing) 

yet we put our shells back together

paint the pattern over and over

i look up at the moon and my face stares back

i am a woman born and raised

cold on the outside warm on the inner

my eyes and my hands and my mind have known pain

my heart is warm (on fire)

my greatest love is the feminine around

my greatest hope is my face in the moon

warmer and warmer with the women around me

born and raised or made from scratch

the moon takes no mind and neither do i

i am a woman

born and raised

i look up at the moon and woman stares back at me

thousands of them who came before me and the thousands that will follow too

different in every way except for one

no matter how bruised the shell or cracked or self made

woman of the moon you rise above all

you paint the pattern on your shell you nurture the bruises you rise above it

i am a woman, a woman, a woman, and you are too

reflections in the moon, brightest mirror in the sky

we make up the stars too, and the planets and pluto

we are everything and inescapable and everywhere

we are woman, we are woman, we are woman.