Piece by Peace

From a hollowed out mirror

She carved out a soul

A mosaic

Broken pieces/pieced

Together

Shattered  what ifs and why nots

Piece by piece

From the black of desperate eyelids

She molded a face

Nubia, they called her

Ugly, she heard them.

The caramel of her mother’s womb

Burned her into submission

Now she bathes in dark chocolate

From the love of a thousand milk chocolate dreams

She rode the Milky Way to

Self-hatred

A hundred tears

A million m&ms later

Cold bile in her throat and her throne, porcelain.

A spoonful of sugar

And a stomachful of ipecac

Make the medicine go down

From your smile

She etched her heartsong

Followed the contours of your embrace

Imprinted your feel

And when the world came crashing down

She drowned in half pints and dimes

Trying to fight the empty

And then, she breathed.

An African sunset and an “I love you”  later -

And “all the world came back”  

Today

My eyes blaze

My heart races

I feel.

I am beauty

I am courage

I am love

I am strength

I

Am

Me.