I’ve always thought of my body as / I’ve never thought of my body as:*
By Jordyn Taylor
1. A shape shifter.
I am loved and threatened,
predator and prey
2. An hourglass.
anything but an hourglass. flip myself over
and over again to find the perfect balance
3. A mystery, deep as the ocean.
dark and unknown,
only a small part has even been explored
4. A space-time continuum.
I am lost, never-ending.
empty, full.
5. A black hole.
swallowing what comes near,
never to be seen again. never existed anyway.
6. A safe haven.
this is home. I try to run but
cannot stay away for long
7. A temple.
sunlight rays across floors from windows,
paintings on walls—some yet to be worshiped
8. A thing.
anything.
everything.
9. A loyalist.
always planning for the future and dwelling on the past,
to everyone, please don’t let me down
10. A medical marvel.
on the outside, and within
cut me open, look inside, stitch me back up, leave the scars
11. Mine.
there is no “us” in confidence, only I.
and this is mine, alone
This is how I choose not to think about my body / This is how I choose only to think about my body
*inspired by the first poem in The Vertical Interrogation of Strangers by Bhanu Kapil