Shakira Andrea Sison
Dear,
Woman,
Lover,
It is nothing short
of a miracle
you are here.
After all I have been raised
to seek a husband,
told that even the way I take
my eaten-off plate
from the table disqualifies me
from marriage.
Come into my bed, lover.
Show me how
all parts of you are as soft
and as fragile as mine.
Come to me with your commanding footfalls
and harder-earned swagger.
Let me undress how you have dressed
the way you want to
after you’re told not to,
because like me, you
are unbecoming
of what they call
a lady.
Come into me, woman.
Kiss each part of me
that’s been told it’s not
big or smooth or tight
enough.
Bury your face in skin I’m told
has to be painted
and soaked
and scraped
and pulled
just to appear flawless in the eyes
of a man.
