they told me i was better off without you,

that you would drag me through the mud

paint me black and blue, scarred and bruised

but resilient

like you

they said you would tread all over me,

that i would always come second

that you were all rough edges

always ambivalent

never offered a simple solution

but i know better.

i know about your rough edges

and i have seen the way you move

through intersections and through uncomfortable spaces

and i love it.

we live in different worlds,

but every word you speak

is a word i need

to hear

i wanted answers

and you gave me questions

what about black womanhood and femininity ?

what about artistry and sexuality ?

racism and prejudice; 

every road to justice leads back to you

i will leave this porcelain home behind

if there is more of you to find

when i blink my eyes into morning,

my pupils will become your pupils

teach me

and you will be the only lens through which i see