I’ve always thought of my body as / I’ve never thought of my body as:*

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