Unapologetic

I won’t apologize
For the How and Why of me
I won’t apologize
for the wit on my tongue
or the openness of my emotions
which flow from my touch
as ink flows on parched paper

I won’t apologize
for the weight of my words
which have the power to
weigh you down or lift you up
depending on where you let them
settle in your body

I won’t apologize
for my falling apart
or my joining of seams,
(both require something sharp-edged
and one should not fear of the outcome of either)
for both hold potential
for creation of something new
which is to be celebrated
and not feared

I won’t apologize
when my gaze doesn’t give
the answer you want
or when my words fill you with
desire
fear
sorrow
joy
inspiration
and if you don’t
know what to do with
the emotions I stir up in you
then I bow down to your
fragile yet insistent humanity

I won’t apologize
for lifting another woman
up instead of casting the
first stone
and I sure as hell
won’t tell her
what she should
do, be, wear, create
for her life is her own
and sister, I celebrate you

I won’t apologize
for taking what I want
and leaving what you need
I won’t apologize
for not telling you where to find me
and not leaving you a map
but letting you find your way
with tentative brushing of fingertips
along rocky spine and pale skin

I won’t apologize
for the way
in which I love

For it is with all of me
And it is powerful