“ do you have a boyfriend? “
a poem by Melissa K. Mursch
he asked
& i said
"no, but i'm talking to a girl"
then he told me
a guy broke my heart
but a woman can't give me
*he clapped his hands together*
what a man can
& i wish i had said
" no, but she can give me
a tenderness
a softness
most men aren't willing to
she can give me
an understanding
of my struggles
as a woman
because she lives them too
& she can give me
a friendship
like the ones little girls have
bundled under blankets
in twin beds
she can give me
shopping trips
fashion tips
matching outfits
without shame of bruised masculinity
& she can give me
a touch
that only someone with a body
like mine
can know how to
anything else
i can buy
in any shape
color
& size
i like "
11.27.18
home
something about
heat
a hot climate
makes my soul
& my body
feel more connected
more whole
free
less clothes
feeling my skin
on more skin
on my surroundings
being touched by the sun
the sky
the wind
soaking it into my pores
the sun turns into makeup
a natural glow
i know my hair is wild
but it feels comfortable
& sweat is often no burden
because it’s a reminder of this vessel
functioning
being cleansed
i tried to explain this once
to my photography class in florence
but i was met with quizzical eyes
& complexed looks
because this connection
almost like love
wasn’t something i could find the right words for
& maybe never will
i read in a class
about native people feeling their ancestors guiding them
in their blood & bones & memories
& that’s my only explanation
that my florida birth place
is pulling me to the sea
& my mexican ancestors
to their home
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