The Women I Have Been Warned Against Becoming

1. Woman of Matter

-Woman who will not share space, who does not remove her elbow from the arm rest at the doctor’s office while she waits to be told she is not to scale

2. Woman who Roars

-Woman who speaks over interruptions, who met silence and left it lying in the streets because she refused to listen to what it had to say

3. Woman who Needs no Shield

-Woman who learned self-defense from chopping onions, whose knuckles grew thick as metal from kneading dough

4. Woman of Curiosity

-Woman who always asks questions, who seeks answers inside the bellies of beasts

5. Woman Clothed in Strength and Pride

-Woman whose heels click and lips shine, who dresses above the knee because she is not ashamed of her thighs

6. Woman with Teeth

-Woman who bites back and draws blood, who scrapes knees and bruises ribs with her tongue