By Emilyn Kowaleski
If someone would have told me years ago
that I was staring at the girl in college
with the raven tattooed across her back
because, perhaps, I wanted her
And less perhaps,
because I wanted to be her
I might not have this blue heron
etched on my own shoulder blade.
Now baked in red from marching in today’s sun.
And I cherish this bird on my back
It reminds me of the beauty of existing
in an ever-shifting relationship with the truth of my own being.
Emilyn Kowaleski is a queer feminist writer, director, and facilitator working towards collective healing, transformation, and liberation. A theater-maker by training, Emilyn writes in a blend of disciplines including plays, performance pieces, poetry, essays, and articles. www.EmilynKowaleski.com