The time has come
The Crow Witch said
To talk of many things
Of shoes and stains and eyebrows waxed
Of amber turquoise rings
And why the sea is boiling hot
And whether Playtex® gives you wings
Yahoo, hooray
Die another day
Today it is all about you
And I mean this to be true
Don’t give your life away
Save it for you
Kiss them for me
But tell them not to wait up
You’re too busy
Running laps around the world
To notice if anyone’s texted you back
Validation, affirmation
Is a bad estimation
Of the esteem
From which
You stem
Just keep dancing with yourself
Don’t listen to them
And ooh, child
Things are gonna get easier
The time has come
To stop checking your back
The time has come
To dance like nobody’s watching
To act without asking
Get ready to beg forgiveness, darlin’
Cause you ain’t asking permission
In this world
A girl being herself is permissible
As long as her soul is digestible
Well guess what
I ain’t gonna sprinkle no sugar
On the medicine I brought
For the world around me
I’m not gonna shrink to
Bask coolly in the shade of the male gaze
Nah uh
I’ve got a desert to cross
And a machine gun to strap to my leg
I’ve got a first aid kit to assemble
And a party to get to
Ya see I’m late, I’m late
For a very important date
With myself
And my own timeline
Priorities rearranged
Insecurity exchanged
For an attitude that is sold on myself
And I don’t work for commission
My self esteem is salaried
Deposited every day
Into my accountability
To my self
My respectability of self
My integrity to form
To the truest version I can be
The best version of myself
The healthiest
The soundest of mind
The hardest of body
No longer needing
The lean, musky swagger
That tingling sensation between my legs
When I’m carried on male shoulders
I am standing tall
Launching steadily into the next minute
And the next and the next
With a meditated peace
Tranquil mind
Gentle thoughts
Caressing my mornings
Exciting dreams
Stroking my sleep
Intriguing smiles
Patting my evenings
I’m serving
Bourbon in the bathtub
And gin in the bar
Green in the in-between
And every day
Drawing stars
“O Demons,” said the Crowing Witch
“You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?’
But answer came there none—
And this was scarcely odd, because
She had beaten every one
