Womanhood
is learning how to witch yourself
in slow motion.
When they say your name
like a curse,
say it back to them
like an incantation.
When they call you cold,
show them how you conjure fire.
When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not
of her beauty, but of her weirdness. They wanted her to change
back into what she always had been. But she had
wings.