Untamed

CHASE: You Are Our Family’s Knowing. TISH: You Are Our Family’s Feeling. AMMA: You Are Our Family’s Imagination.

For every woman resurrecting herself. For the girls who will never be buried.

Because I have just remembered that the sun is shining, the breeze is cool, and these doors, they’re not even locked.

I will no longer suffer voluntarily or silently or for long.

I sink into my body. I start to feel itchy and agitated and annoyed. This is why I left! Because I am shame and fear wrapped in skin. I don’t even want to visit my body, much less reside here.

have controlled and led my people and called that love.

Whenever I see a little girl wearing complicated braids, I think: She looks well loved. She looks well mothered. She looks like a little girl whose mother knows what she’s doing. Who once was a teenage girl who knew what she was doing, who had lots of friends in high school, who all sat around and braided each other’s hair and giggled. Who was Gold

think we are only bitter about other people’s joy in direct proportion to our commitment to keep joy from ourselves. The more often I do things I want to do, the less bitter I am at people for doing what they want to do.

This “must be nice” thought stops me. It always does. Hmm. Maybe it is nice. Maybe that’s why they all want a thing. Maybe I want a thing.