as i have grown, so have my roots.
extended deeper into the soil and unfurled across land and under sea.

coral reefs visited in dreams speak to me,

release fear.

i have reached into past, present, and ether…
i have spoken to those who sleep with me every night,
floating quietly above my bed, sending sweet notions to my head…

newborn baby speaks sternly in my arms,

do not let other people’s emotions affect you.

her message is serious but she smiles and holds a lighthearted energy. she tells me what not to do while showing me what to be: light, love, laughter. she embodies what i will to exist. what i have always longed to be is what i truly am.

the mission becomes clear: to dig. to uncover what has been buried under expectation and that which is stifling of the power of woman. there is a war on women and it has gone on since before our notion of time.

The Divine Feminine, she rises once more. she no longer can be ignored. she is awakened, on fire in all of us. how we choose to express Her is what makes us beautiful and unique. we are all necessary. we are all powerful. we are all sovereign. we are all nature. beneath all programming and sorrow, it is there. excavate.

leaves are pressed between a Goddess’ palms; She is Healer. You are Healer. We are Healer. when i think about every Goddess and Shining Woman i know, there is the healing work within her, embodied or awaiting creation and execution. the spectrum of creation. whether it’s through plant medicine, voice, writing, art, dancing, motherhood, teaching, traveling, running a business, cooking… we are all the spectrums of healing light and energy.

We will inherit the earth. We will bring our girls home. We will restore the magnificence of natural life.

We are the Elements.
We are the Wild Women...

who remember why We came here.
who persevere through doubt
and drought.
who are hellbent on Love,
for self and each other.
who dance in the rain.
who aren’t afraid to call out in pain
when it resides there.

i am Woman who incarnated on Earth to wake up my sleeping bloodline. i am Catalyst for reigniting the flames within our blood. it is not a simple duty. it does not come without it’s grief, but i am not here to be swooned by unconsciousness.

i am alive like the Palm Tree swaying, bathing in the breeze. i am alive like the Lily and the Lotus, smiling and growing under sunshine, within mud, existing with scars and beauty. i am alive like Water diving from clouds to nourish grounds and plants while creating beautiful music to sing and sleep to. i am fierce like the Wolf, howling to the moon. i am meditative like the Bee, drinking from sweet flowers and creating more life. i am awe like the Stars exploding in the sky. i am patient like Mother Spider, contemplating shadow and the webs i weave.

I am Earth:

i am solid, steady, ready.
i am dirty, grow life. i am life.
i am glorious and green.
i plant seeds into my skin,
watch flowers grow from my pores.
I am Yours.

I am Rain:

i am cold. i wash away the dirt and the old.
i am calm and i am storm. i am the most powerful.
i am gentle. i give pleasure.
i hydrate deserts and quench thirsts of men and the foliage that suffocates them.
i fit where i flow. i am wet. i am warm.
I am the Storm.

I am Sun:

i am passion and desire. i am burning. i am fire.
i ignite and illuminate. i kill and i kiss.
i uncover the secrets of ancestors. i grow trees and vines.
i open your intuitive eye.
i give life. i am the vitamin to Earth and to human skin.
I am your Kin.

I am Wind:

i destroy. i create.
i spread seeds. i am free.
i make you dance. i make you shiver.
i am cool. i am relief. i give breath. i push.
when doubt creeps into creases you’ve left unswept,
i am the one who helps you brush it away.
I sway.

in each woman
lives a wolf
with ferocious spirit,
once stifled by society,
awoken by inner burning,
defiance to submit,
to be silenced, dismissed.
in each raw howl,
a cry,
intelligent and free.

first published at The Milk Thistle for the June Poetry Slam: Woman. edits have been made since.

(photo)