The First Poem Written for You

you think that you are not the kind of woman who inspires poems
you said that no one has ever written for you before
but that is only because you are difficult to fit on a single page
you have inspired novels in me, stories I have yet to tell
you have written music without knowing it
the muses must be flushed with envy
for you are a force of nature

and it is not your fault
that you have not yet found a man
who can hold the depths of you in his arms
you are wider than oceans and you are fierce and beautiful
you were never small, and some men are too fearful to love you
more than they love their own safety
it is not your fault that the world tried to bend you
and keep you tucked away in corners
it is not your fault that they called you names
and it is not your fault that you believed them

I know what you see when you look at yourself
but mirrors only do what they are told
and yours has lied to you for years now
the last thing you need is another frame around your edges
you have never been a straight line or a right angle
there are fireflies under your tongue and there is electricity in your eyes
you are a mass of swirling stars and a rush of river water
your glow is real and it is warm
and a mirror is ill-equipped to show it

so go and hunt down what you love about yourself
it will be hard to see at first, but your feet will find the path
gather up your best features like stones
and keep them in your pockets to pull out on bad days
speak largely and fearlessly and be vulnerable
breathe in your apprehension and do not let it stop you
keep walking, keep searching, even in the shadowed places
sometimes the things we hide are the most valuable
remember to hold your own hand when you are lonely
wrap your arms around yourself and love your own skin
you deserve to feel wanted and seen and you deserve room to breathe
you deserve to know what you look like in the light
you deserve to know how beautiful you are